A Malfoy Point of View
by MarianaNM
Summary: The events between the "Goblet of Fire" and the years right after the final battle according to the Malfoys. Into the walls of Malfoy Manor a family strikes to survive all that comes in harsh years using basically their love and devotion to one another.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! So here I am with another Lucius and Narcissa fanfic (of course with lots of our dearly Draco too!). This one will be longer... I didn't plan yet how many chapters or such, but the story takes place, as the summary says, between the GoF and the events after the Final Battle telling how they affected the Malfoy family. Be free to send me your sincere opinions in reviews. Suggestions will be always welcome as this is a work in progress. **

**Please forgive me from the very beggining for some grammar and spelling mistakes that should appear. I'm Brazilian and since English is not my nature language there's a huge chance of mistakes even though I take care of reading the chapters several times before posting them. **

**So.. no more babbling :)**

Hope you enjoy the story!

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Draco was flying his Nimbus 2001 in the gardens while his mother was lying on a plush couch in her study reading and old book, a rare potion's one from the vast collection the Malfoys had in their library. Narcissa Malfoy was undeniably beautiful, with long blond hair, bright sapphire blue eyes, a tiny "turned up" nose and a pale complexion difficult to see in other women. She was almost turning forty and yet looked like a twenty-something year old.

The woman startled when she heard a loud noise coming from the hall. But then, she turned to check the clock and a smile spread across her face. Lucius. It was about the time her husband usually arrived home from the Ministry of Magic.

"Love, is that you?" Narcissa said a little loud with her cool and clear voice. She placed her book at a small table beside the couch before rising to meet her husband. It was a ritual between the couple: Lucius would arrive home and meet Narcissa in whichever room she was. Then they usually greeted with a chaste kiss and talked to one another about the day until five o'clock, the time they had tea in the parlor.

His aristocrat figure stood in the entrance of her study. Lucius, like his wife, was still very good looking for a 40 year old man. That day his long silver hair was tied back in a low ponytail and he wore some expensive black robes given to him by Narcissa in their previous wedding anniversary. The man walked in and embraced his wife, kissing her with much more passion then he did daily when arriving from work.

"Hmm, Lucius… what got into you, eh?". That was all Narcissa managed to whisper to Lucius between their kisses. The woman was really impressed. Even though they had a truly loving marriage, that was certainly something out of their routine. When Lucius let go of his wife he just smiled and sat down on the couch, gently tugging her hand as a sign for her to do the same; Narcissa slowly sat beside her husband resting her head on his shoulder.

"Cissa, I have the best news for you and Draco. And speaking of whom, where is that boy?"

A tiny smirk was forming on Narcissa's lips while she winked for him before starting to speak. "Why don't you guess, dear? If your answer is correct, I'll give you a bonus".

"Wicked girl you are, love. But let me see…We're talking about a teenager, what a foreseeable specie... What the boy could be doing? Eating? Guess not… It's almost five and he usually prefers to have his tea with us. Running after some girl? That's a no too, since the only girl in this place is his own mother and she's right here with her husband… So, the other thing would be, obviously, quidditch. So that's my answer: Draco is out there flying his Nimbus".

"What a bright man I have here!" she exclaimed laughing. "Well, you may have your bonus, darling." With that, Narcissa lifted her head and kissed Lucius with the same passion he did just minutes before. Soon the couple was entangled again. She had her hands gently brushing his hair while he traced lines in her jaw line with one hand, having the other securely placed in her tiny back.

"Eeew! Can't you two behave like proper parents?"

Narcissa quickly let go of Lucius and was instantly blushed to a deep shade of pink when Draco abruptly made his entrance. Lucius couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't decide what was more hilarious: Draco throwing a tantrum just because he got sight of his parents kissing or the embarrassment so evident in Narcissa's face.

"Here's my boy!" Lucius gestured for Draco to take a sit at an armchair next to the couch. "I was just saying to your mother that I have the greatest news for you, son".

"You two were NOT speaking, father! The last thing you were doing to mum was speak." The spoilt teenager seemed upset with his parents and showed them a reproachful look.

"Enough, Draco." Narcissa regained her composure and reprehended their son. Ok, it was not a good thing of them to show that kind of behavior with unlocked doors but who the boy though he was? The master of the house? Nonsense!

"It's alright, darling." Lucius gently patted her leg. "Now that the family is indeed together, let me tell you what I'm trying to. This afternoon I had a meeting with Cornellius Fudge and some Bulgarian wizards in attempt to make the best liaisons for the upcoming Quidditch World Cup." Lucius saw the admiration in Draco's eyes increasing. The boy always looked after his father and Lucius Malfoy was pleased to be some kind of hero to his son. "In fact, the negotiations were nothing but excellent and this little participation of mine granted us all an invitation to see the finals alongside the Ministry of Magic himself. The best seats anyone could ever have. Nothing less than the Malfoy family deserves, I suppose".

"FATHER, YOU'RE AWESOME!" Draco nearly jumped off his armchair, a grin spreading at the boy's face. His Malfoy pride was in its higher measures that time. Watching the quidditch finals with Fudge! That scum of Hogwarts would envy him for life.

"Calm down son!" Narcissa chuckled lightly watching her son's reverie. "So, you and your father will be having quite a great time, right, angel?"

Lucius arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me Cissa? Why 'you and your father'? Are you saying you're not coming with us?"

"Come on, Lucius! I know how you two love quidditch but, you see, love… I was never fond of it. Too violent, too grotesque and imagine the crowd that will be attending this event. Oh Merlin, no way I'm going!". Narcissa said this turning up her nose in a disgusted frown. As much as beautiful, the woman was reclusive and didn't dare to think about herself in the middle of all the people that would be attending the Cup. And from what she knew they would have to stay in a tent. Well, in a luxury tent, but who cares? It was still a camping tent after all.

"So we are not going at all, Narcissa. I'm not leaving you here and going only with Draco. Out of question. I'll have to politely refuse the Minister invitation". Lucius tried hard to appear serious. He really wanted his wife to go with him. He loved her and didn't want to travel and leave his Cissa by herself. Besides, introducing this beautiful and smart woman to the Minister as his wife would surely put him in an even higher esteem with the old fool. It was just a question of seconds for his intentions to be fulfilled. Draco would go mad, would pout and beg his mother and Narcissa, always accomplishing all the boy's wishes, would succumb for sure. And the show begins in 3,2,1...

"Please Mum! That's not fair!" Draco almost shouted but instantly regretted his behavior. If he wanted to convince his mother he would have to be sweet and calm, screaming wouldn't get him anywhere. "Mum, you know how father cares about you, and I'm pretty sure he won't go with me leaving you alone in the Manor… And I want to see the match, mother. Probably Vitor Krum will be playing and he's the best seeker ever! I could learn so much from watching him play mum, and then I would finally beat Potter, and…."

"Ok, Draco! I'll go. Happy, you two?" Narcissa interrupted Draco's speech and sighed. Someday she would probably regret spoiling her son but she couldn't resist his desperate face, the same one he did when he was just an infant and something made him upset.

"Couldn't be happier, mon amour" Lucius smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Happy? I'm thrilled, mother! I love you! Now may I be excused? I have to floo Crabbe and Goyle and tell them the news. Just imagine their faces, father! They won't believe it!"

"You may go, Draco. I'll order the house elf to get you some tea and cookies". Lucius said cheerful. He couldn't help but feel excited too. After all, he had been a skilled chaser during his Hogwarts years and the captain of Slytherin's team. He loved quidditch just as much as Draco but his current status didn't allow him to show it so evidently anymore. The man was so lost in his thoughts that he merely noticed his wife sending him a severe look.

"Such a shame, Lucius! Using our son to get me accomplishing your desires. Do you think I didn't get it?" Narcissa said harshly to Lucius after Draco left her study.

"Forgive me, Narcissa. But if I don't have the same prestige the boy has, I just had to take some advantage of his irresistible charm upon you to get a little time out with my lovely wife".

"You're so silly, you know? A charming and silly man, Mr. Malfoy." Narcissa melted hearing her husband's "explanation" and whispered almost inaudible, being heard only by him: "I love you, Lucius, no need to be jealous".

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**A/N: **Hope you liked it! It was a short chapter and I'm sorry for that... But I was willing to start to post it. The real action starts with the next chapter and the Quidditch World Cup.

Reviews are lovely :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to thank the ones who reviewed, the others who added the story as a favorite or took the story alert and also the ones who just dropped by for a "visit" :)**

**This chapter is a little longer and I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think about it after reading! Reviews are always lovely and helpful!**

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Narcissa had woken up early in the morning. She was trying to get everything ready to leave the Manor at the exact time they had their portkey arranged. But with a disorganized husband and a teenager son, things were never too easy.

Entering Draco's room, his mother saw the boy trying to hide a bottle in his trunk. "Draco, how many times do I have to tell you that you're NOT going to have alcohol during this trip? Can you please put the Odgen's back in your father's study?" Sighing, the witch put on a hard face and went straight to the trunk getting off the bottle of firewhisky and placing it on her son's bedside table.

"I'm sorry, mum". Draco said showing repentance in his eyes. "My friends and I are going to have a party at the camp and I thought it'd be cool if I got us some Odgen's… I didn't mean to upset you". Suddenly, Draco wrapped his arms around his mother and muttered "I'm sorry".

"But you did upset me, Draco. I though you knew better than drinking lots of alcohol being only fourteen years old. Never in my life I thought I'd be raising a rebel". The woman, after being hard on her boy, relaxed a little…"But I'll let it go, ok? I don't want to be the one that ruins your trip. Just behave son, that's all I'm asking".

With that, Narcissa left Draco's room and walked past a corridor full of portraits going straight to the double doors that lead to the master bedroom she shared with her husband. And inside the room there was Lucius: lying on his side of the four poster bed, glasses placed on the tip of his nose and his face buried in a Daily Prophet. When the door clicked, he merely lifted his head.

"Good morning, mon amour. You were up early today, eh?"

Narcissa's blue eyes turned a little darker upon his lazy greeting. After the incident with Draco, her humor was tending to be less and less receptive and she replied in a cold tone. "Good morning, Lucius. So, everything packed? Have you picked the right clothes to the event? Did you buy the supplies for the tent I asked you? And the muggle money to pay for the camping place, is it in our bags?"

The woman asked all those questions almost in rage, throwing some make up items and boxes of jewelry into her own trunk. Lucius sensed the heavy atmosphere and tried to be as gentler as he could manage to be without having to lie to his wife. "Dearest, don't worry about the money and I can assure you the tent will be quite equipped to serve our needs… But about the clothes and packing, well, love, you were always the one who dealt with 'fashion issues', you know that…"

"You two are unbelievable! You and Draco. Men in general! You can't do anything by yourselves, always depending on me to get things prepared! Did you ever think that I need sometime to myself? Did you ever think of me as a person with her own desires and needs and not just as a mother and a wife?" Narcissa said all that in a low tone, more to herself than to Lucius, while she was performing some reductions charms to put several sets of her husband's robes into a small trunk.

Lucius got up from their bed and went straight to the closet where his wife stood. Gently, he brushed her hair to one side embracing her back and resting his chin on the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry, Cissa. I should have helped you more preparing this trip."

Narcissa hated to feel like that. But even if Lucius had been as useless as he could be during the last days, his touch still calmed her and made her humor increase considerably. Damn it! How could that man have such an effect upon her? "It's fine Lucius, you're forgiven".

Smiling, Lucius brushed a kiss on her cheek and sat down on the closet's couch, beside the opened trunk. "And what about Draco, love? Did you see him? Is he excited?"

"I would say he's overly excited… Can you believe that I got sight of him trying to bring in his trunk a bottle of Odgen's firewhisky? That boy is crossing the line, Lucius". After finishing with the trunk, Narcissa looked at her husband and saw a trace of amusement in his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me, Lucius Malfoy! Are you enjoying the fact that our 14 year old boy, almost a child, is trying to get himself drunk?"

"Narcissa, be reasonable! In his age I had already drank so much more than just some whisky…" Lucius regretted what he said almost immediately because the fury in his wife's widened eyes was comparable to her sister's Bellatrix glares in this one's maddest moments.

"Don't you EVER say that in front of him, are we clear? The way Draco looks after you, he'll be drunk in a minute!" Sighing and resting her temple in her palms, Narcissa took some moments to cool herself before speaking again. "Lucius, would you be a dear and leave me alone for some time? Go and eat breakfast, take a bath, do whatever you wish, just get out of my sight a little, right?"

Lucius knew better than to argue with her in such a temper. He just nodded and got out of their bedroom. Damn the Black family genes which could turn a proper lady into a boiling cauldron within seconds.

Unlike other wizard families, the Malfoys got a portkey just for them. Lucius had a good reputation at the Ministry and it was easy for him to get permission to transform some item into a way of travelling that would bring them directly to the camp of the Quidditch World Cup without having to deal with other families during the procedure.

The time arranged for their portkey was 11 o'clock in the morning. The family was supposed to leave from the drawing room and one elf would apparate later with all their trunks. Lucius took a hair brush and charmed it to do the transportation job and now he was sitting on an armchair waiting for Narcissa and Draco. When it was 10:40, Narcissa entered the fancy drawing room and her husband's jaw dropped.

She was in a grey dress with silver details that fitted her body amazingly just in the right places. Her blond silky hair was half-up and the emerald earrings matched the whole look perfectly. Narcissa chuckled a little and walked towards him taking her usual place in his lap. "So I see you approved the looks, right? All for you, my love. I'm sorry for my tantrum earlier… You know how moody women can get."

Lucius smiled and held her tightly. "Oh, I can say that I _really_ know it, dearest." Narcissa let one finger trace his face before gently tapping it on the tip of his nose. "Lucius, about our son… I would appreciate if you don't encourage him to do extravagances. Please, let me teach him what I think it's right. I just want the best for Draco."

"Did I hear my name, mum?" Draco entered the drawing room only to catch his mother sitting on his father's lap once more; at least this time there was no kissing! "Seriously, it's becoming a habit to get you to in this, eh, this position… hold your horses, pals! I hope you behave like a normal couple during this trip. Don't embarrass me, please!"

The Malfoy couple laughed… a lot. Narcissa, still sitting in Lucius' lap, was drying the tears that spilled from the corners of her eyes while managing to reply her son's comment. "Hold you horses, pals? What kind of language is that, Draco? Don't worry mon ange. You know that your father and I are always discreet in public".

When the Malfoys arrived at the camping place, Lucius went directly to an agent of the Ministry of Magic to communicate that his family had already used the portkey while Narcissa was dealing with the muggle man - some Mr. Roberts - who worked there. She payed and left his side as soon as she could without saying much. The Malfoy lady was not fond of muggles, or mood-bloods or blood traitors. Well, in fact, Narcissa Malfoy wasn't exactly fond of anyone except her family and her closest friends, like Severus Snape.

While the blond walked to the spot her husband was placing their tent, she held her head upright and wore an expression that could intimidate anyone. That was Narcissa's way of avoiding social contact. She noticed many men looking at her and other amount of women sending despising glances; not that she cared much, but it was irritating to say the least.

"Narcissa, the tent is ready and the elf is in there unpacking everything and making lunch for us." Lucius offered her his arm and the couple entered the tent. It was more like a mansion in miniature inside. It had a living room with rugs, fine furniture in ebony wood, comfort couches and even a fireplace. Not to mention the two splendorous suites and the kitchen.

"Lucius, it's amazing! I almost feel this is not a camp, darling, well done". She sat on the couch and noticed the absence of Draco. "Do you know where our son is?" Also taking a seat on the couch, Lucius took hold of her hand and answered. "We met the Goyles halfway and he and Gregory said they would be out 'exploring the camp'. Let the boys have some fun, Narcissa. He'll be back soon to go with us to the game".

The game. A eventful one, to be true. Narcissa, Lucius and Draco were happily going to their seats near Cornelius Fudge's one. Draco went all the way talking about Vitor Krum and how he had his heart sided between the Ireland team and the famous seeker. Everything was going quite normal until the blond family got sight of a bunch of redheads and two other people among them already in the spot they were going to. Arthur Weasley, from all people! Narcissa knew that Lucius wouldn't be pleased. She knew her husband and the Weasley patriarch had a very old rivalry, a stupid thing for grown ups, but men can be so childish…

So after giving spicy comments about Arthur's financial conditions, Lucius finally realized that it wouldn't be good to continue his peeves around Fudge and, gladly, guided Narcissa and Draco to their seats. The humor of her husband decreased a lot after that. Lucius barely paid attention to the game. The man was indignant! How come those blood traitors alongside with their mudblood friend were in the same place as his family?

After the game, Draco joined his friends once more and left his parents alone in their luxury tent. Not wanting to deal with Lucius' lack of sympathy, Narcissa went to their suite and searched in her trunk for a good book to read. After thirty minutes of her reading, her husband entered the room, a parchment in his hands.

"Cissa, Robert Goyle's elf dropped by and gave me this letter. The Goyles are inviting us to a 'tent party' they're having tonight. Seems that the Crabbes, the Greengrasses, the Macnairs, the Carrows, the Parkinsons and also Nott, Yaxley and Dolohov will be attending. Sounds funny, don't you think?"

Narcissa tried hard to please her husband and avoid his bad humor to show up again. She chose not to express her true feelings about the party: obnoxious and tacky women talking about all kind of nonsense, drunken men, a bunch of teenagers, well, lovely… But all she had the heart to say to her beloved was: "It does sound funny, love. I'll send Chilly to Abigail Goyle with a note telling her we'll attend the party".

After some minutes, the blonde returned to the suite and climbed up the bed placing herself beside Lucius. "I wish Severus could join us in this party. He's the only one we can call a friend; the others, well, they're more like colleagues – and I say colleague to be kind!" Narcissa chuckled. This "gang" that would be present at the party were mainly their Slytherin group during Hogwarts years – suckers, the most of them – and until those days they still stood around Lucius and her because of their wealth and influence. Even their children were doing the same to her Draco. "Next time you see Severus, tell him that I'm missing his company. Invite him for dinner, darling! It would be great".

"You know Severus, mon amour. He's always working and this year, with the Triwizard Tournament, I think he'll have even less time to relax a little. But I'll try to bring him to the Manor eventually". Approaching his wife in the bed, Lucius passed an arm around her back pulling her close until her head was resting on his chest. "Why don't we use our time to do something more interesting than talking about Snape's routine, hm?"

But when Lucius started trailing kisses down her neck, Narcissa gently pulled away from him. "No, Mr. Malfoy, not now. If we have a party to attend, I shall be going to dress up, do my make up and stuff. You don't want your wife going to a party less than perfect, right?"

Lucius almost groaned. "Nonsense, Narcissa. You could wrap yourself in newspaper and would still be the most beautiful woman at any party! Come here love, don't do this to me." The woman smiled softly. She loved to see Lucius' displays of affection. "I'm sorry I'll have to do it to you, dearest. But one hour is an extremely short time to get ready, even for a witch. But after we arrive from the party, you'll get your compensation".

If only Narcissa Malfoy knew what was to come after that party maybe she would have agreed to spend that time with Lucius before all get troubled.

Draco was already at Goyle's tent. After the game he went there with Vincent Crabbe, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. The boys were now playing Explosive Snap while drinking some butterbeer. Mrs. Goyle too didn't allow the teenagers to drink some Odgen's – "mothers, all the same". And speaking of mothers, there were his parents arriving at the party arm in arm showing their classy façades and forced smiles while greeting the hostess. It took some moments until Draco realized that Blaise's eyes were wide and looked in the direction of his mother's décolleté.

"Malf, is that you _mother? _Wow, she's hot!" Blaise said that without moving his look from Mrs. Malfoy. It was impossible that that witch was old enough to be Draco's mom! "Damn you, Lucius Malfoy" – the boy thought – "the man has the money, the prestige and this awesome woman, this is an unfair world!"

Draco went berserk. Why all the boys had that pervert look on her? She was his _mother_ after all. Why didn't they look like that to Goyle's mum? Well, in fact she looked like a giant plum but, whatever! They didn't had the right to harass his mother. "Shut your mouth, Zabini. Keep saying this and I wouldn't want to be you when my father hears about this".

"Easy, boy! It was a compliment!"

"A dirt one, Zabini."

Two hours of party and Narcissa was already distressed. Not long after their arrival, Lucius went directly to his peers to drink and chat. The laughs of the group echoed in the tent and she could smell the alcohol every time one of the men passed by. Draco was with his friends and that horrible Parkinson girl, acting like a shadow, didn't leave his side if only for a second – annoying chick, that one. So Mrs. Malfoy was condemned to spend her time with the shallow tacky wives and with that came a lot of small talking and futilities. The only woman in her social circle that was not a complete fool was Alicia Grengrass but, unfortunately, the Grengrasses didn't go to the party, since they went home straight after the game that afternoon.

Giving some pity excuse, Narcissa left the women and went to find Lucius sipping his brandy while talking to Yaxley and Dolohov. "Elias, Antonin, may I have a minute with my husband?" An overly drunk Yaxley replied: "Aaaall yours, little Cissy". Lucius took her arm and they walked a few steps to get more privacy.

"So, what's up, little Cissy?" Lucius had drink over his limits too. His breath was a mixture of firewhisky and cigars and calling Narcissa "Cissy" was something he didn't do for a really long time.

"I hate when you call me Cissy and you know that." The woman replied harshly. "Anyway, I'm leaving. Those women had already taken my humor, Lucius. You shall stay more if you want and Draco too, of course. But please, darling, no more drinks, no more cigars… think about your 'compensation' – she discreetly winked – I'm not willing to spend time with a drunken man." "As you wish, mon amour, as you wish". He leaned down and whispered softly in her ear: "See you soon".

Not a minute after Narcissa left, Henry Nott put an arm around Lucius' shoulders and guided him towards the other guys. "Here we have a free man, pals!" Suddenly, Antonin Dolohov had already put another dose of firewhisky in Lucius' hands before he could protest ("oh, who cares, just one more, Narcissa won't even notice" – this one thought). Dolohov rose his own glass in a toast: "To the old times!" Instantly the others, including Mr. Malfoy, raised their glasses and shouted in unison "TO THE OLD TIMES!" Several doses later, Lucius came up with a wicked idea: "Why don't we plan a little joke, eh?"

But what kind of joke could drunken Death Eaters plan? Conjuring their old hoods and robes, all of them were more than willing to go outside and have some "fun" with the family of muggles that worked at the camp. Leaded by Lucius, the gang went out waking up an amount of people, burning tents and causing desperation. The effects of the alcohol on them were evident. The men forgot that the camp was full of Ministry agents (and Fudge himself) that could take out their hoods and reveal their identities. They even forgot that, in their reverie, they could end up hurting their own wives and children by accident.

Mr. Robert's family was put in the air by the dark wizards. The family was exposed and humiliated, their floating bodies making a grotesque and sad scene. The only ones that seemed to be enjoying the sick scenario were the hooded figures. Around them, many Ministry wizards and other people were trying to end the torturing session without hurting the muggles furthermore.

Narcissa was resting on a lounge chair when she heard screams and loud noises that sounded like burning fabric coming from outside. She got up to her feet immediately and almost ran out of the tent searching for Draco. When she looked up at the ceiling and noticed Mr. Roberts floating she knew that her husband and his "peers" had something to do with that. Those _idiots_! How could Lucius not think about their son's safety, about their reputation? They had to lie a lot and use poor excuses like the Imperius Curse to cover Lucius' involvement with the Death Eaters after The Dark Lord downfall and now her stupid husband was risking it all! But she would deal with that moron later. Now she just wanted to find her son. The mere thought of Draco getting accidentally hurt in that pandemonium was driving Narcissa mad. After some minutes she found her boy resting his back on a tree, his eyes showing an awkward amusement in observing the horror taking place at the camp. Mrs. Malfoy sighed. It wasn't easy for her to watch her only son willing to take all the same wrong steps his father took in life…

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, we're going home now".

"But mum, look what father planned! He's awesome, isn't he? You should see Potter's face…" The boy ceased talking when a large skull appeared in the sky. "Mother, isn't that the dark ma…" Narcissa interrupted Draco before he could finish his question: "Shut up! And don't you _dare_ saying to _anyone_ that your father has some involvement with that, boy! Let's go home _now, _Draco! This whole thing is much more serious than you're shallow head can figure out".

Draco didn't understand the chaos his mother was putting up. "But we're going without father? And what about our portkey?"

"I don't care about your father because clearly he does not care about us either! And damn the portkey, Draco. I'll order our house elf to apparate alongside us to the Manor". Mother and son left the spot near the forest.

Once in their tent, Narcissa and Draco grabbed Chilly's tiny hands and the three of them returned to Malfoy Manor. A few times in her life Narcissa had got so enraged with her husband.

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**A/N: So, what do you think? A little trouble coming ahead for Lucius and Narcissa...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I DID SOME MINOR GRAMMAR AND SPELLING CHANGES IN THIS CHAPTER, I'm sorry if that caused many story alerts on your email boxes… thanks for your patience ;)**

**Chapter 3, a little angst one. I hope you like it. Thanks to everyone that took time to review or read the story! Please let me know what you're thinking and also, If any of you have some suggestion, advice or anything else, be welcome to share.**

**Enjoy it!**

"Draco, go to your room". Narcissa had just arrived home with her son and gave him that order while throwing herself in a nearby couch at the living room.

"But mum, I wanna see father before going to sleep. He was freaking awesome today!" The boys' eyes were glimmering and he had excitement in his voice.

"Enough, Draco! Go now. You can talk to your father tomorrow. Now just do what I tell. Am I clear?" Narcissa hated to be tough with her boy, but at that time she didn't have the patience to deal with his distorted ideas of right and wrong. All Lucius' fault. As ever.

"Okay, mother. Good night" Draco knew that his mother, despite being kind and well behaved was some kind of a frantic woman when she lost her calmness. Not wanting to deal with that side of her, the boy quickly climbed the marble stairs and went straight to his room.

Sensing her lower lip trembling and the water starting to form on her eyes, Narcissa bit her lip and breathed a few times to regain her composure. She knew the talk that was up to come with her husband wouldn't be one of their bests so far and letting her emotions flow wasn't the best way to prepare herself to do what was needed to be done. The blond woman went to the master bedroom's toilet. She slowly got rid of her fancy dress and jewelry before charming the water in the bath tub to a comfort degree of heat. A warm bath full of essences would help, for sure.

An hour later, Narcissa put on a long black silk night gown and sat at her vanity table slowly brushing her hair. It was when her blue eyes met grey ones in the mirror. Lucius was still dressed in his Death Eater robes but his hood was already off. She glanced down, not wanting to make any further eye contact in an attempt to restrain herself from saying all the things that were choking inside.

"Narcissa, I was so worried with you and Draco. Thank Merlin you're home!" With that, Lucius approached his wife and when he was about to embrace her back, he heard one single disturbing word…

"Don't." That was all she said before turning to face him. The couple stood in silence for some minutes until Lucius couldn't take it anymore and broke the quietness. "What was that, Narcissa?"

"I suppose you can figure it out by yourself, Lucius". Along with that phrase came her cold glare; how much he hated when his Cissa got upset, that icy blue orbits always drove him insane.

"Actually, I can't, Narcissa. If you don't mind, please make yourself clear."

"You think I'm stupid, don't you?" Narcissa sighed in disbelief. It wasn't possible that he still didn't comprehend the implications of his silly attitudes. Or maybe he was just trying to make _her_ feel silly. But he wouldn't get it! "I knew from the moment I saw those bodies in the air that you had a finger on it. In fact, Lucius, knowing you, I could bet our entire fortune that it was YOUR idea to begin with! Those friends of yours have less brains than fishes, the plan couldn't be theirs!" Narcissa's tone was high and fast and she was losing all control she fought so hard to hold during the years.

"Now now, _Cissy_, are you pity of that filthy muggles?" Lucius' mocking tone affected Narcissa so much that her answer was almost shouted, her eyes darker than ever. "I don't give a damn about the muggles, Lucius! I was worried about us, about OUR FAMILY! Something that you clearly didn't even considerate during that sick show of yours!"

"What do you and Draco have to do with my joke? Because it was all a simple joke, Narcissa, I don't understand why you're fretting like mad because of it!"

"Let me explain to you, Lucius. I hope you understand." Narcissa's face was red and her chest was heavy. She never shouted with Lucius, she loved her husband beyond limits, but this time he deserved to be reprehended. She needed to do it. Using a lower tone, she began: "I don't know if you remember the hard times we had after the Dark Lord's downfall… All the lies we had to put up with… All the people we had to confound or to corrupt… The allegations of you being under an Imperius… And for what we did all that, Lucius? We did that for us, for Draco, for our reputation. We did that to raise our boy without having to explain why his father was in jail accused by murder and other crimes. I did that for love, Lucius, and I thought you had too. But today, you just showed me otherwise…"

"Narcissa…"

"LET ME FINISH!" She couldn't stop the tears from falling down anymore and her voice was trembling. That was becoming the worst argument she have ever had with her husband in almost 21 years of marriage. "Why did you have to go out there and risk all we've built during these years? You could've been catch, you know? There were plenty of Ministry officers in that place, even Fudge himself, Lucius! If they had took out your hood who knows what they would do" Narcissa closed her eyes, the tears running down her beautiful face. "You all were willing so hard to show your Death Eaters' abilities that you even conjured the DARK MARK! Why, Lucius? TELL ME!"

Exausted, the woman sat on their bed, her hands hiding her face from his look. She didn't want Lucius to see her weakness, to see her swollen eyes, the desperation so clear on them.

"WE DID NOT CONJURE THE MARK, NARCISSA! WE RAN AWAY WHEN WE SAW IT! NOW I CAN REALLY SAY THAT I THINK YOU'RE BEING STUPID!" He regretted his words almost instantly and quickly sat beside her in their bed, trying to take hold of her hand while she avoided any contact. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't… I… I just got nervous, Cissa! The other wives didn't act like you're acting; they understood our joke, laughed with us. I thought you would think it was funny too. Just when I went back to our tent and didn't find you that I realized something might be wrong."

When Narcissa turned up her head, he could see her tear strained face and the hurt in her eyes. It was such a painful sight for him that it was his time to avoid eye contact. In a low tone, almost a whisper, she said: "I'm not like them. I can think for myself and I have no willing to please you every time. Instead, I love you deeply and that's why I do worry for your well-being. I feared you being catch, I feared Draco getting hurt… But never mind, Lucius… I'm sorry if I'm not the wife you wanted me to be, but I try my best".

Slowly, Narcissa rose from the bed and made her way towards the double doors. "If you excuse me, I'll be in the guest room near to Draco's. Goodnight, Lucius."

"Narcissa…" She stopped and looked at her husband. How she wanted to hear him say something, anything that would take them off of that crisis.

Lucius also wanted to tell her that she was perfect, that he loved her and that he had done wrong on the World Cup. He didn't want to let his beloved go out of that bedroom thinking she failed him as a wife. And he tried to. The man opened and closed his mouth several times trying to put a sentence together, all in vain. The only thing he managed to say was a "goodnight" before seeing her gently closing the door.

"Damn you, man! Why did you do that to her!" Exclaiming that to himself, Lucius pointed his wand at his reflection at the mirror and exploded the object making tiny pieces of glass fly across the master bedroom.

In his room, Draco couldn't avoid listening to his parents' fight. He was terrified. Never in his life had he heard them arguing so bad. Of course, like any other couple, they had their problems, but _nothing _like that. That night he heard his mother saying awful things, his father saying even worst and, what was the most heart breaking, he heard his mother crying… a lot. Apparently she was in the room next door and probably didn't mind to cast some silencing spells because her sobs were pretty audible.

_Never_ in his life the boy thought he would see Narcissa Malfoy in such a state. She was well mannered and had a cool snobbish air, always being the model of a high class pureblood mother and wife. Inside their home, she was always sweet to him and to his father. "Oh my, I'm already missing those embarrassing moments when I saw them embraced…" – the boy thought. After that fight, Draco knew that things wouldn't be the same for some time in his house.

When Draco went to the dining room in the next morning to have his breakfast, he saw his father sitting in the head of the long mahogany table and his mother sat by his left, as always, as if nothing happened. The boy tried hard not to put on an interrogative face and just went to his seat, in his father's right and in front of his mother.

"Morning, dad… 'morning mum".

"Good morning, _mon ange"._

"Good morning, son".

"So, angel, what will you want for breakfast? I can ask Chilly to bring you another thing if you're not in the mood for pancakes and strawberry jam."

"It's fine for me, mum. You know I love pancakes".

Draco put a pancake in his plate but after several minutes looking at it he still was just playing with his fork and tapping it lightly on the plate of expensive china. The boy had no willing to eat.

"Is everything alright, Draco?" Lucius put the Daily Prophet down at the table and asked his son sending him a worried glance.

"Actually, I want to now… If it isn't too indiscreet… What happened last night?"

Narcissa's blue eyes widened for a moment and Draco noticed his parents exchanging a brief glance before her reply. "Nonsense, darling. Nothing happened last night."

"But mother, I heard…"

Before he could finish, Lucius interrupted him, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Draco, as your classes are coming, I was thinking to go with you to Diagon Alley today and do some shopping, what do you think?"

"I liked it, father!"

Draco, as a Malfoy, always had cunning ideas and took advantage of his father's question to try to push some more information from his parents. "Why don't mother go with us? I think I'll need her help to find the proper vests to the Yule Ball you said we're going to have on Hogwarts this year, dad!"

Lucius eyes fell on Narcissa in an attempt to read some of her feelings… but the woman had a plain face, as ever! It was hard, even for him, after all those years, to decipher Narcissa's deeper emotions. "You're right. Your mother does have an excellent taste!"

The two of them stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry boys, but I'm tired and still have so much to do here at the Manor. You two go! I'm sure you'll help our boy to find fine clothes, Lucius." She tried to say that as cheerful as she could. The last thing she wanted was to worry Draco with the crisis they were having in their marriage. "Now I'll go take care of the gardens. Chilly isn't able to do anything on her own, you know that".

Narcissa left the table, placing a kiss on Draco's forehead and giving a quick peck on Lucius' cheek. She turned quickly to make sure that the two of them didn't see the tears starting to form again in her eyes. After staying so many years without sharing a single tear, this estrangement with her husband was bringing to surface all of Narcissa's emotions.

"Now, now, Draco! Go and get ready because I don't want to arrive late at Diagon Alley and find all the shops full of people. The sooner, the better!"

Giving a side glance to make sure Draco was already off the dinner room, Lucius guided himself to one of the huge windows. Moving aside the light green curtains, he saw his wife waving her wand in slow and gentle moves while dealing with some white roses bushes.

How long could he stand the distance between them?

**A/N: That's it, for now! A short chapter, I know. But I wanted to post that argument of them soon.**

**Reviews are always lovely! The more I get the more excited I feel about the story :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I'm terrible sorry about the delay in updating this fic. But College's final exams are taking all my time recently!**

**I'd like to thank everyone who is reading this, or adding as favorite story or getting story alerts and also the ones who are reviewing. I would REALLY like to know what you're thinking about the story. Please, be welcome to tell me anything: suggestions, complaints or, maybe, compliments, hehe :) **

**Enjoy!**

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Almost three months had passed since their argument and little had changed between the Malfoy couple. Narcissa refused to apologize because in her view she did no wrong. It was all Lucius' fault and he was the one who was supposed to come up with some apologie, but with his stubbornness, she knew it was almost a hopeless case.

Lucius, in the other hand, tried a little, in the first month, to solve their problems. He tried to kiss her or to say something many times, just to have turned faces and short answers in response. And the man was not a saint. Quite the opposite, to be true. After a month trying to get Narcissa's attention, he gave up. "Let her be on her own and maybe she'll realize that she's overreacting" – he thought.

But Malfoy women are just as determined as Malfoy men can be. Narcissa moved herself to a guest room and the only moment she shared with her husband was during their meals. She avoided talking and the communication between them resumed itself to topics involving Draco or the house deals.

That night, in particular, Narcissa wasn't feeling quite fine. She didn't even go downstairs for dinner, and Chilly just brought some soup to her room. That day was her wedding anniversary, the first one she didn't celebrate with her husband, the first one she hadn't even seen Lucius during the day. And how she missed him… His voice, his touches, the hours they used to spend talking about nothing in special, the way he always kissed her when arriving from work… Was it the end of her marriage? Because if that wasn't a dead line, she didn't know what it could possibly be.

The date affected Lucius as well. It was eight o'clock in the evening and he still didn't have the nerve to close his office in the Ministry and go home. That wasn't supposed to be happening. Why did he allow his marriage to come to a breaking point like that? He saw no escape anymore; things were just too strained between him and Narcissa. They barely talked to each other, and physical contact was inexistent. When he felt the tears he tried to vanish beginning to fall, the man laid his head over the desk, letting the sobs shake his body and his sadness come up for the first time in those months.

He heard someone banging lightly on the door.

"Come in". Lucius said while quickly wiping the tears from his aristocratic face.

Severus Snape stood there, looking at him with a questioning and yet mocking look. "Lucius Malfoy crying... It must be some something really serious to make the impecable king of pureblood society spend his tears".

"Shut up, bastard! Do you have something really important to say? Because if you don't, please fuck off, Snape! I'm not in the mood for your silly jokes."

"I'm sorry, Lucius. I came by to see if you're feeling something strange with _that_… the mark, you know…"

"Shut the door and take a seat". The dark haired did as the blond said and placed himself on a green leather armchair in front of Malfoy's desk. He rarely saw Lucius so disturbed. "Yes, Severus, the mark is getting darker every day, and it's hurting a lot, although I don't have the faintest idea of what may be causing it. He can't seriously be returning, can He?".

"You know his prior wish: control the death. Who knows? About the dark mark, I'm feeling quite the same. But the reasons remain unknown to me as well. It couldn't possibly be your little action during the Quidditch Cup, could it?"

Lucius sighed and rested his temple on his palms before answering. "I know nothing. But please, don't mention that incident anymore, right? It turned into quite a problem for me". His grey eyes were getting wet again, but no way, he wasn't going to cry in front of Snape.

"Lucius, you're acting strange. We're friends, you know you can tell me what is disturbing you, right?" The teacher entangled his fingers and rested his back on the chair waiting for his old friend to speak up. In fact, he already knew that it must be something related to his other friend, Narcissa, since Draco was perfectly fine in Hogwarts and, from all people, the only ones Lucius really cared about were his wife and son.

"Well, Severus, I'll tell you, it's becoming almost unbearable to deal with alone anyway." Lucius cleared his throat before continuing and bite his lower lip to regain some calmness. "It's Narcissa. We…we are.. I think we're finished. She hates me since that joke of mine during the Quidditch Cup. She made a scandal saying that I'm an irresponsible fool, that I risked our safety for nothing. She even said that I think she's no good for me, that I would prefer some other pureblood wife! What she wants, Sev? Ahm? She wants to drive me crazy? I love that damned woman even more than I love my own self!"

"Well, my friend. I suggest you tell her this, with your apologies for everything you said and done, and please, without the 'damned woman' part, for Merlin's sake". Severus laughed a little seeing the grand Lucius Malfoy so out of his mind for a woman. He understood the poor man. If only he had a chance to rewrite his own story with Lily…

"She doesn't listen to me anymore. I tried for a month, but she did nothing but burst me off. Narcissa is a stubborn person, you know her. Why didn't she apologize to me as well? She said awful things too; I'm not the only monster in this whole story." Looking outside the enchanted window, Lucius continued to say everything he hided for so long, but he no more paid attention to the man sitting in front of him, only thinking about his wife. In a quieter tone, he finished: "Today is our anniversary. I didn't even see her".

"Write her a letter, Lucius! Do something! I can't believe that you two are so self-confident to let a little struggle increase to a point that is ruining your marriage." Severus was truly sad for them. Lucius and Narcissa were his only real friends, apart from Dumbledore, and he knew they loved each other deeply since their teenage years. But the couple was as stubborn as was passionate and the strong personalities of both of them didn't help either. "Can I say what I think?" – the Slytherin headmaster asked.

"Although I know you'll defend her and crucify me…say it". – The blond man answered a little too rough.

"I think she has a point. It wasn't the best idea to risk your head being caught just to have some fun in a muggle torture session, Lucius. And we must agree that Narcissa always excelled you in terms of cleverness, right?"

Both men laughed this time. That was true. Narcissa was always the clever one in the relationship. Lucius could remember her and Severus doing all kind of advanced potions, charms and even astrology studies at Hogwarts; after leaving school with outstanding N.E.W.T.S, his wife was also top of class in Wizard Law College, even though he never permitted her to work after graduating.

"You're right, my friend. I'll write her a letter. Maybe she'll read it. If you don't mind leaving now, I'll start right away. Send a hug to Draco, but, please, don't mention any of this. Narcissa and I are trying to hide the crisis from him."

"My godson is no fool, Lucius, I'm sure he knows his parents are not at their best times, but do as you wish. I'm going. Goodnight." Severus raised from the chair and was on the half way to Lucius' office door when he heard his friend calling.

"Sev?"

"Yes, Lucius?"

"Thank you, for everything, really."

The younger man slightly nodded his head. "It was nothing".

Narcissa was lying on her bed when a little tap on the window echoed through the bedroom. Strange. Draco had already sent an owl that day with his congratulations for his parents' anniversary and the ultimate news of Potter, Weasley, Mood and the foreign students in Hogwarts. Who would send her a letter that time at night? It was almost ten and she heard Lucius arriving like a hour ago.

When she moved herself she saw Demetrius, Lucius' owl, tapping his beak on the glass. Her blue eyes widened and she quickly opened the window, letting the bird land at a nearby desk. She got the letter and gave the owl a treat while caressing the bird's head. After Demetrius flight away, she closed the window and sat on an armchair to read whatever Lucius had wrote. She felt her breath becoming quicker and her stomach revolving. He still affected her, even when they're marriage was so strained.

"_Narcissa,_

_I understand you don't want to see me, or talk to me, I truly do. I'm starting to see that I did wrong and undervalued all we've built together. Also, I said things to you that day that I never meant. The only way I figured out to tell you this was writing a letter, since you're avoiding any other contact._

_I hope you remembered what we're celebrating today, because I can't forget that beautiful nineteen year old girl walking down the aisle direct to my arms all those years ago. That was the happiest day of my life, only comparable to the day you gave birth to our son. Please, believe me when I say you are the best person that ever crossed my life. You gave me nothing but happiness and good moments and I would never, ever imagine that you're not a suitable wife. Narcissa, I fear that our current problems are because you realized something that I already know for a long time: you're too good for me. _

_I'm sorry for everything I put you through during our years together and for all I made you suffer. But if you want to try again, I'm open to do my best._

_Happy anniversary, angel. _

_Yours, always,_

_Lucius."_

Narcissa stayed there for some minutes, the letter clutched to her chest. He was beginning to admit his failures, and she knew Lucius from heart. Confessing failure wasn't a trace of her husband's personality, he wasn't raised to do such things. But if he so openly did that in the letter, he must be suffering as much as her, he must be really wishing their marriage to be what it used to.

And then she made a decision. Slowly, Narcissa folded the parchment and put it in a drawer before brushing her long hair and using her wand to make it straighter. The woman also applied some make up to mask the dark circles under her eyes and light up her face. After receiving such a beautiful letter, she realized that, even though she was not prepared to completely forgive Lucius, she wanted to show him she wouldn't give up on their marriage too.

"Chilly!"

The little elf appeared in her mistress' room quickly.

"Where is your master?"

"He's in the master bedroom, milady."

Lucius was drinking a dose of firewhisky at the balcony when he heard someone opening the double doors of the bedroom.

"Lucius? May I come in?" Narcissa's tone was almost inaudible but he would recognize that firm, but still silky, voice every time and in every tone.

"Of course, you can my lo...Narcissa". He left his glass outside and came to the bedroom to meet her. Stunning as ever. Her black lace nightgown fitted to her tiny body and her blond hair loose. She walked towards him, grabbed his hand and the two of them locked eyes for some moments until he saw her closing hers before placing a chaste lingering kiss on his lips. They stood there, lips pressed, until Narcissa broke apart.

"Happy anniversary… I… I read your letter." He could see her blushing deeply. Suddenly, an impulse came over him and he couldn't help cupping her face and kissing her with passion. Narcissa returned the kiss and they felt the tears both were shedding that moment. It was Narcissa who broke the moment once again.

"Lucius… Go slow. I want to reconcile but I'm not quite prepared to let all that happened behind and pretend it never existed… I forgive you and I'm sorry for making you suffer too. But I need time to bury all this and start over again. I think that if we skip this stage things might not truly come back to what they were before this turmoil."

"I understand you, angel. You're right, you're always right." Saying this, Lucius hugged Narcissa and let her cry in his chest while he rested his chin on her head. The couple remained entangled until they reached a calm point.

"Lucius, if you don't mind, I would like to spend some time alone in our house in London. I think some time apart will be good for us, to reconsider our thoughts, to vanish all resentments, to miss each other…"

"Do as you think it's best, my love. But if that's our new condition, I would like to propose something, can I?" Lucius took her hands in his and looked straight into her sapphire blue eyes.

"Always." But deep inside, Narcissa feared what he would say. Maybe that arrangement wasn't something Lucius would accept, maybe he would say that, in those conditions, he preferred a divorce. Could it be?

"Let me win you heart again, Cissa? Let's go out on dates during this time you'll be in London, let's get over this crisis slowly and regain our closeness and faith in each other?"

Laughing and crying, all at the same time, Narcissa hugged her husband tightly before answering his request. "You're amazing, Lucius, the best date I could ever wish." After saying this, the woman brushed a kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear: "I always loved you; you'll just have to help me trusting you again_"._

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**So that's it. No Draco in this chapter, but he'll be back in the next one!**

**Tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, I took some time to write and post this chapter, but the next one shouldn't be done until next week (friday, I assume). Let's see. I'm having too much exams, hard week this one coming!**

**Also, I'd like to apologize for this chapter. It's long but didn't go as I planned. Alicia (you'll meet her soon!) just popped on my head while I was writing and I couldn't write the number of 'dates' of N/L that I was expecting to. **

**Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing, you give me motivation to go on faster with this fic!**

**Hope you like it!**

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The London house was now full of Narcissa's feminine touches. She arrived at the city on the day before and quickly put the Victorian style house in order. Mrs. Malfoy commanded Chilly to clean up as fast and efficient as possible and changed some decorating items. In a day it already felt like home.

So, as a gift for her "hard work" with the house, Narcissa decided to go out and do some shopping. She had received a letter of Twilfit and Tattings saying that the new clothes collection was available and, only liking the best and more exclusive garments, she had to be fast if she wanted to buy them before any other aristocrat lady did. After lunch, she decided it was time to go. Her house wasn't far away of the Leaky Caldron, perfectly fine to go walking. Nothing better than pure air and a walk to put your thoughts together, that she believed.

After buying several luxury dresses and more casual items like silk chemises and fitted skirts she got sight of an old friend of hers at the store.

"Alicia!"

"Cissy! How long we don't see each other?" The brunette, Alicia Greengrass, opened a real smile seeing one of her oldest friends. The woman was quite beautiful: tall and thin, she also had high cheeckbones with a natural blush that matched perfectly her hazel eyes. Alicia was married to Eric Greengrass and had two daughters: Astoria and Daphne. She and Narcissa were in the same year at Hogwarts and also studied Wizard Law together in College.

"I think last time we saw was in one of those awful Ministry events! Are you finished here, Allie? Maybe we can have some tea together in my house. I'm staying here in London for a while."

"Sure, Narcissa, I'd love it. Let me just pay my account and we'll be off".

The friends went all the way to the Malfoy's house chatting, laughing and remembering their old times. "Allie, do you remember that time you said you'd run away to Russia with that silly boyfriend of yours? The exchange student, in College?" Narcissa said between giggles. "Oh dear Merlin, you were such a ridiculous young rebel, Alicia".

Alicia made a playful scorn face to Narcissa before answering: "I'm sorry little miss I-was-oh-so-grown up-oh-sooo-married during College. C'mon Narcissa, you're just jealous because you didn't have an eventful youth". Narcissa laughed quietly and said in a low tone to her friend: "Allie, who told you that Lucius and I didn't have quite an eventful time in College, eh?" Alicia widened her eyes and said in a matter-of-fact style: "And here we have society queen Narcissa Malfoy making dirty insinuations! Who would believe it?"

The women arrived at the house and spent some more time talking about nothing in especial while Chilly served them Irish Tea and cookies. However, Alicia was not quite at ease with Narcissa. She had to ask her friend about the rumors she heard, but how? Tapping her fingers lightly on the plush cream couch she decided that it was time to try to bring on the subject in the most delicate way possible.

"So, Cissy, you and Lucius are spending some time in London, right? Tired of Wiltshire?"

Narcissa's blue eyes avoided looking at Alicia's hazel ones. The blond sipped her tea before placing the cup at the center mahogany table. Taking a deep breath and entwining her hands in her lap, she tried to keep more control of herself before answering.

"Actually, Allie. It's just me. Lucius is at the Manor."

Alicia ran a hand through her hair. Poor Narcissa. She shouldn't have asked, it obviously hurt her friend. But now the damage was already done, and all she could do was continue on the strange topic. "So, it's true? You and him are…..? Are you?"

"What's true, Alicia? Who told you? _What did they tell you?_" Narcissa's tone was harsh. No one knew about the decision she had made, not even her son. How come Alicia knew something?

"Promise me you won't fret. This whole history involves a person that you dislike a lot, Cissy, but I swear I had nothing to do with it!"Mrs. Malfoy's patience was on its limits. "If you could enlighten me, Alicia, I'd be a little calmer. So, please?"

"Last night Eric and I had a business dinner at the Parkinsons, their house is actually in this street. You know that Gerald Parkinson is Eric's colleague at work, right?" Narcissa just nodded. If the story had something to do with Violet Parkinson, it surely would be not good at all. "So, Cissy, after dinner, Eric and Gerald went to the study to discuss some negotiation and Violet and I went to the living room for a tea. And she told me she saw the exact moment you apparated in front of this house with a suitcase in hand and also that she saw no signs of Lucius… And well, she took her conclusions, as she always does, and she believed that you two might be divorcing and that he had sent you here not to have to deal with you until the papers are done, and…"

But before Allie could put on any more babbling, Narcissa cut her off. "Nonsense, Alicia. Before believing all the rubbish this horrible woman told you, you should've asked me, don't you think? And I thought you were my best friend." The expression in Narcissa's face was cold and impassive. The last thing she needed was a gossip freak creating rumors about her marriage and, even worse, making her best friend believes in said rumors.

"I know, I'm so sorry. But when I saw you here alone the story made so much sense. I don't know if I deserve to know what truly happened, but I'm worried with you, sweetheart."

"Alicia, you should really be sorry. But as my friend for all these years, you might deserve to know what's happening between me and Lucius. To resume a long story: we had some problems in July and the whole thing increased to a point that we were barely talking to each other. But a few days ago was our wedding anniversary and we kind of decided to try again, to keep our love alive. That's it. I'm not divorcing, he does not hate me. But I know that Violet story sounds much more interesting."

"Cissy… if you're trying again, why you are here and he is there in the Mansion? I swear I don't get it." Alicia sounded confused, but brains and sensibility weren't her best qualities anyway.

"We agreed that some time apart would be good for us. We can think better, we'll miss each other more, forget about our resentments. And Lucius proposed something too…" Talking about Lucius' idea did put a smile on Narcissa's face. She was absolutely enchanted about their coming 'dates' and even her anger with Alicia wasn't capable of hiding it.

"What did he propose, Cissy? From your face, it must be something really good!" Mrs. Greengrass was begging to feel more relieved now that her friend was coming back to her usual behavior and the heavy atmosphere was fading.

"We're going on dates, Alicia!" Narcissa's eyes were glittering and she couldn't hide it. "Well, tonight is our first one, to be true. I bought a gorgeous dress on Twilfit and Tattings, I hope he likes it. I'm so nervous! It's been like forever since I did something like that."

"Owwn, how adorable! So, he's trying to conquer you again? This Lucius! If anyone listened to it, would probably think we're talking about another person. He's so gentle, so different with you, Cissy!"

"He is, indeed… Allie, I had an idea! Why don't you help me getting ready? I think it's the best way to forget our little 'fight': do our girly rituals and laugh a little."

"Perfect! Now let's go, show me the dress and while you take a bath I'll find you some jewelry to match".

And so they did. Narcissa took a bath while Alicia laid the strapless and long skirted navy blue dress over the bed finding in a silver box the perfect diamond bracelet, ring and earrings to match the look.

Narcissa entered the bedroom wearing a white robe, hair still wet, make up already done, and a deep frown on her face. "Allie, I'm worried. Really. You know how Violet hates me. Within a second she'll spread the rumors, and she's Rita Skeeter's cousin, I don't give a week to have this 'news' all over the tabloids".

Alicia rose from the bed and went to give Cissy a big hug. Next, she led the blond to a bench in front of the mirror and started brushing her friend's long hair. "I think you should not worry. For me it has more to do with her eternal crush on Lucius than with giving it publicity. Cissy, you know she's obsessed with your husband. Her teenage dream was marring Lucius and look at her now: stuck in a loveless marriage with an awful man while you two are still in love. She went heads over hills thinking you got divorced, maybe she thought it was her chance with him".

Narcissa sighed and kept looking at her reflexion in the mirror. Violet was never easy on her. In the past, she created stories to Lucius about Narcissa being unfaithful, she became friend of Lucius' mother to try to convince the older Mrs. Malfoy that the Black girl was no good for her son. She even gave Lucius some potion in a drink to get him into bed during a break up he had in his courtship with Narcissa, and in that she succeeded. The woman was always a trouble and after almost 25 years, there was she: still causing chaos in Narcissa's life.

"Sweetheart, don't worry about her, I know nobody more made for each other than you and Lucius. She'll never get it. She doesn't have the power to tear you two apart."

"You're right, Allie, she doesn't. But you know what worries me most? That girl of hers, Pansy. She's always around my Draco, like a little puppy. She adores him, and if she's just a little like her mother, my son is in trouble, the poor baby."

Allie just laughed, finishing combing Narcissa's hair. "You're way too protective with the boy, Narcissa. Let him deal with his issues alone". With a flick of her wand, Narcissa straightened her hair and started to make loose curls on the tips

"No way, Allie! That little lunatic isn't going to put her claws on my angel. How I wish Draco had some interest in one of your girls, they're so adorable. But no, he had to invite that Pansy to the Yule Ball, that silly boy." While saying this, Narcissa put on the dress and Alicia helped her with the zipper. Then, she put on the jewelry. And that was it: she was ready for her date.

"Let it be, Cissy, they're still so young. I have to go now, dear. Eric must be thinking I got myself lost, I told him I wouldn't take long. You keep calm and don't let Violet ruin your date with prince charming, ok?" Pecking Narcissa's cheek, she emended. "You two are so cute, have I already said it? Oh, I almost forgot! Are you and you date coming to my husband's birthday next Saturday, Cissy?"

"Shut up, Alicia. Don't be so annoying! We'll be there on Saturday, I sent you the RSVP, you're just asking to emphasize the _date_ thing!"

"I'm not, Narcissa!" The woman winked and left Narcissa in her bedroom. While descending the stairs, she saw Chilly, the house elf, opening the door to someone. And that someone was Lucius Malfoy with a huge bouquet of flowers, to be more exact, a huge bouquet of narcissus. Alicia covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. It was a little funny to see a couple of friends married for twenty years acting like teenagers again.

"Lucy! Awesome flowers, beauty queen will love it!"

Lucius almost jumped in shock. With his vision partly blocked by the bouquet, he didn't saw Alicia approaching. "Allie! I didn't know you were here. Please, stop with this nicknames from another era, like 'Lucy' or 'beauty queen', they're not funny anymore!"

His face was impassive, as always, but knowing Lucius since he was 12 years old, Alicia knew the man was nervous. She patted his shoulder before saying her goodbyes: "So, no kidding now, Mr. Malfoy. Let me just say that you and your wife have such a beautiful relationship and I'm quite sure this difficult phase we'll be gone as soon as it came. Just relax, and try something to cheer up our precious. She got upset about some minor things today, nothing big, but you know how Narcissa is. Have a good night! Bye, _Lucy!_"

Not ten seconds after Alicia left, Narcissa appeared on the top of the stairs. While finishing putting a diamond earring, she shouted without looking first: "Alicia, are you still there, I heard your voice…"

"No, Narcissa. She just left."

"Lucius. Chilly didn't tell me you arrived! Come in properly, please, this is your house!" Narcissa chuckled and descended the stairs. She stopped in front of her husband and he landed her the bouquet.

"They're for you. It's not right to go on a first date without flowers."

"They're beautiful, Lucius. Thank you." She said, placing a feather kiss on his lips. "I loved your suit, it's new, right?" Lucius was wearing a dark grey three-piece suit with silver details and cufflinks. "As new as your stunning dress is, my angel. Also, I loved you hair like this, the curls…" While saying this, he took a strand of Narcissa's hair and caressed it.

The two got lost in each other for some moments until Lucius said they'd better be going not to miss their appointment. The couple used the floo network instead of apparating and soon they were in some fancy restaurant, the restaurant that, so many years ago, he took Narcissa to celebrate her graduation in Hogwarts.

"Lucius, this is 'Le Train Bleu', which means we're in Paris!" Narcissa tightened her grip on his arm, she couldn't be happier. So far so long, the date was a success.

"_Oui, mon ange_. Nothing less than you deserve."

The couple took a discreet table at the restaurant. After finishing their meals, they talked for a long time, something they didn't do for months.

"Lucius, is Draco telling you the news about the Triwizard Tournament? I got horrified by the first task. Dragons! The organization is getting a little too much, don't you think? And this Potter boy, do you thin he's going to last in the competition? He's so young, so näive! I really don't put much faith on him".

"I liked the dragons, Cissa. Original idea, at least. And I don't believe Potter, you know that. The kid had an amazing luck in several circumstances, but he's nothing more than Dumbledore's protégée. I don't see any special talent on him, angel". In a split second, Lucius stopped talking and contorted his face, grabbing his left forearm. Narcissa knew that only could mean one thing: the Dark Mark. But it was faded, wasn't it?

"Lucius, are you all right? What's happening, darling?" The woman got her two hands over her mouth, a horrified look on her face.

After the pain suppressed, Lucius breathed and tried to smile. Why that mark had to show itself while he was with Narcissa? Damn it. "Don't worry, Cissa. It's alright. Severus is feeling the mark too, apparently, all of us. But I don't have the faintest idea about the reason of that. Forget this, I don't want this rubbish to spoil our date, ok?"

Narcissa took hold of Lucius' arm and gave light kisses on the sore spot a few times. "I don't want to see you in pain, Lucius". Trying to escape the subject, he changed topics: "Ah, Narcissa, I almost forgot. Alicia told me something made you upset today. What was it? Can I do something to make it better?"

The blond woman just smiled for her husband. "It's nothing, really. I'll tell you, but I swear it has no importance, dear. Violet Parkinson saw me apparating to our house in London and started rumors about you divorcing me and kicking me out of the Manor. But she's insane, Lucius, I won't give her credit."

Holding his wife's hands, the man continued: "You're right, Cissa. That woman does not deserve even your anger. She's just jealous, you know." Narcissa nodded. "Yes Lucius, she's jealous because she wanted you".

Lucius winked for her: "Nonsense, precious. She's jealous because she'll never be as perfect as you are. _Je t'aime, _Narcissa".

"Me too, Lucius. Always."

Later that night, Lucius took Narcissa to their house in London. They drank too much wine and she was a little drowsy. The couple sat on a couch at the living room and started a conversation, but not five minutes later, Narcissa fell asleep and, unconsciously, adjusted herself, placing her head in Lucius' lap. He just stood there, watching her sleep and running his fingers through her hair until he too succumbed and slept in the same sitting position he was. The next morning, Lucius woke before her. The man didn't dare to move, afraid of waking her. It was so peaceful watching her sleep, her beautiful face so serene.

Narcissa woke half an hour later. She just looked up at her husband, gaving him an affectionate smile. "I'm so embarrassed, Lucius. I made you sleep in this awful position; you must have your back aching. I'll get you some healing potion, just a…"

"Cissa, I'm fine. Just stay here with me." Narcissa sat up right. "Okay, if that's what you wish".

"I wish another thing too, angel. Can I have a goodbye kiss?" Narcissa just nodded positively and he leaned in, kissing her calmly and deep, like they were discovering each other all over again. With time, their kisses deepened a little more and soon the couple was lying on the couch, Narcissa in his arms. Lucius stopped the kissing and they stood at the same position, just holding each other.

"I promised you I would go slowly, my love, and I didn't forget my promise. I'll just hold you here with me a little more before going home. I missed you so much, Cissa…"

At 9 o'clock they finally said goodbye and Lucius went home to change his clothes before going to work. Their 'first date' was perfect. And both of them couldn't wait for the next one.

* * *

**Reviews are lovely and helpful ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

It was a Friday morning, December 16, and Draco was sat at the Slytherin table, a glass of pumpkin juice in hand and some toasts on his plate. The owls should be arriving soon and the boy hopefully expected his mother to send him some sweets or any kind of different food. After all, he was tired of the food Hogwarts served. Not that it was awful, but it wasn't a large _menu_ after all.

Turning his head, he saw a sand colored owl approaching, Narcissa's one. The bird landed gracefully on the table and Draco removed the large box from its leg letting the owl fly away again. "Love you, mother!" – he thought – Narcissa never failed with him, it was a ritual between them, every Monday and Friday she would send his favorite desserts: cakes, sugar canes, pies… Showing his usual sneer to his colleagues that had to endure a simpler diet, Draco Malfoy removed the letter that was attached to the box and opened it, seeing the familiar elegant script of his mother.

_Dear Draco,_

_Is everything fine? How are the preparations for the Yule Ball? Is Miss Parkinson suffocating you already? Just a joke, sweetheart. The real reason I'm writing is that I'm going with your father on a little trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow, and as we know you also have a visit to the village, we hope the three of us can meet there. We'll be bringing your Christmas presents too, as our boy isn't coming home to the holidays this year. _

_I expect your response and if you want to meet us, just tell me where and when._

_Love,_

_Mother_

"Weird".

"What's weird, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson heard the blond boy muttering after reading the letter – probably his mother's – and was genuinely interested in knowing what he was thinking.

"Ah, nothing, Pansy, really". He waved his hand to the girl and sighed. Pansy could be really suffocating sometimes. They were starting a relationship, yes, but there were times Draco didn't want to give her complete answers. In fact, that were times that he didn't even want to be around her.

"Tell me, Draco, I'm your _girlfriend_, you can tell me _everything!_" The girl chuckled and winked for him.

To avoid another of Pansy's romantic attempts, Draco decided it was better to just say what he had in mind. "Mother and Father are coming to Hogsmeade tomorrow and they want to meet me. But I don't remember a single time they went there, they're not huge fans of Hogsmeade."

Putting her hand over Draco's, Pansy Parkinson sent him a pitiful look and started to say in a sweet, almost childish, tone: "Sweetheart, my mother told me some things about your parents… I didn't tell you before but, you see, I think now it's time."

The boy removed his hand of hers and spat: "What about them, Pansy? Say it, stop acting like you're going to melt and tell me!" Really, he had no patience for her that time. Quickly he remembered the crisis in his parents' marriage and awful things started running through his mind.

"Sorry, Draco! I didn't mean to upset you". She pouted. "The case is: my mom told me your mother is currently living in London, without your father. She fears that maybe your parents are divorcing, or something like that… And after you told me this whole Hogsmeade story I think that maybe they're dropping by to give you the news personally".

"You don't know what you're saying, Pansy. Now if excuse me, I have more things to do. Give me some space today, please, I'm not asking too much, am I?"

Draco stood, grabbed his box of food and quickly made his way to the dorms. He would _never _confess to Pansy that he believed in what she was saying but, to be true, this whole story made absolutely sense. Grabbing some parchment, ink and a quill in his drawer, he started writing a response to the letter.

_Mum,_

_Of course I'll meet you two. Can we have lunch at the Three Broomsticks? 1 o'clock p.m. will be perfect. _

_Love,_

_Draco._

Lucius and Narcissa arrived early at the village. Arm in arm, the couple visited the places they used to go when they were teenagers, during their years at Hogwarts. Narcissa even made her husband go to Honeydukes with her to buy some sugar quills, her favorite sweet since childhood.

The Malfoys were always discreet and appeared unattainable in public, even tough they were both loving to spend some time alone in a place that held so much memories. Suddenly, Lucius let go of Narcissa's arm and held her hand, pushing the blonde to a narrow alley between two old stores.

"Do you remember this place, Cissa?" The man said, sending her a teasing look.

Narcissa threw her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. Lucius embraced her with one arm, the other moving to let his hand gently cup her cheek. She broke the kiss and smiled before staying on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "Our first kiss happened right here and I was the one who took the first advance, just like I did today". They both laughed, still in each other's arms.

"Always a bit forward, my little one." Letting go of her and staring into her blue eyes, Lucius sighed and continued speaking, this time more determinate, without jokes: "Narcissa, we're acting like teens again, and I think it's lovely, I truly do. But, Cissa, I can't bear it anymore. I need you by my side, in our home. Sleep without you next to me is terrible, having all meals alone is equally awful, my life is a mess without your support everyday… Please, come back to me completely? I love our dates, but I miss our marriage."

She didn't even dare looking into his eyes. It killed her to see him like that, begging for attention, something that was her duty to give him, as a wife. But she still needed a little time to put her thoughts together. Of course she needed him too, physically and emotionally. But he would have to wait just a little more. "Be patient, love. Just a little more, I promise… Now I think it's better going, we don't want to leave our son waiting."

He didn't even flinch. Offering Narcissa his arm, Lucius started walking with her. "Of course we don't want to leave our impatient boy waiting, that would be a disaster, angel!" Narcissa stopped abruptly. "Lucius… I'm sorry".

"Don't be, Cissa. It's alright. I promised to give you time, so you'll have all the time you need."

Draco asked Millicent Bulstrode to keep Pansy occupied the whole day during the Hogsmeade visit, the last thing he wanted was the girl forcing herself to go lunching with him and his parents. When he entered the Three Broomsticks, he saw no signs of Lucius and Narcissa, until a waiter came to him.

"You're Draco Malfoy, right?"

"Yes."

"Your parents are in a more reserved table, at the end of the bar. If you want, I can accompany you, sir."

"It won't be necessary, thank you."

Draco took quick steps to reach the table his parents were sitting. Physically, they were the same, at least. Lucius had his hair tied in a low ponytail and, as usual, was wearing black robes. Narcissa, with her hair half up, wore a flattering rosé dress. Seeing her son, the woman couldn't hide a large smile and gestured for him to take a seat. Lucius nodded to his son, giving him a more discreet smile.

"Draco, I missed so much!" Narcissa took hold of her son's hands and squeezed them a little. Lucius gave the boy little taps on the back. "How is everything, Draco?"

"I'm fine dad, and missed you both too." Narcissa could see a hint of worry in her boy's eyes. Knowing her darling for so long it was almost impossible for Draco to hide his emotions from her. "What's happening, son? Something is not quite fine and I can see it in your eyes."

The boy hesitated a little but decided he was going to ask. They didn't have the right to hide everything from him, he wasn't a child anymore! "Mother, is it true that you and father are no long together? Pansy's mother told her…"

With fury darkening her eyes, Narcissa cut Draco in the middle of the sentence. "Nonsense, Draco! Don't listen to anything like that. Pansy doesn't know what she says and that dreadful mother of hers knows even less!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just concerned with you. Ok, you might not be divorcing, but I know something is wrong between you two. I heard you fighting, I know you were not sleeping at the same room, I'm not this naive, mum!"

Lucius enlaced his hand with Narcissa's under the table. "Narcissa, it's better to tell him." She just nodded, Lucius continued. "Your mother and I had some struggles and you know the reason, this is not the place to discuss my, hm, activities… But we're trying again, for true. She is currently living in our house in London but we're kind of… dating, son." Lucius' face got red in instants and Narcissa felt it was her time to take on the explanation.

"So, angel, the point is: we're together, do not worry. And no more questions about our marriage, Draco." She laughed, trying to break the tension that was settled at the table. "You have this awful habit of getting me and your father ashamed, don't you, boy?"

Draco snorted and Lucius controlled himself not to do it too, after all that was a public place and he had to hold his reputation. Draco called the waiter and ordered a butterbeer. When the man went away, he could see his mother subtly inclining her head and whispering something almost inaudible to his father. Reading the movement of her lips, the boy understood what was being said: _I love you._

The lunch went pretty fine after the little 'incident'. The family talked about the Triwizard Tournament, Draco telling his father how Potter had luck so far and how Krum and the other boys from Durmstrang were becoming friends with the Slytherin students. The topic changed to the Yule Ball, and Narcissa let spicy comments about Pansy go here and there, mourning her son's choice on a date for the event. Draco's Christmas gifts were nothing but amazing. His father gave him some dark artifact of Borgin and Burkes he wanted for so long: a cursed ring that gave the owner the power to control the one who was wearing it (almost an Imperius, without having to cast the unforgivable spell). From his mother, the boy received new stylish robes and books. A big amount of galleons was given to him too, as usual.

"Mother, father, if you don't mind, I'm going. It's already 4 o'clock and Crabbe, Goyle and Zabini are planning to have a boy's gathering at the Hog's Head Tavern."

Lucius winked for his son. "I know this reunions, Draco. We used to do it in our times in Hogwarts too. You go son! Merry Christmas. Hope you liked the gifts."

Draco stood, placed a kiss in his mother's cheek and shook his father's hand. "The gifts were awesome, but you know what I liked most?"

Lucius spoke first: "Mine, of course! Amazing ring, that one!" Draco chuckled before saying: "Amazing, indeed, father. But the best thing was seeing you two back to what you always were."

Tears started to pour in the corners of Narcissa's eyes. "You're the best son I could ever wish Draco. Now go, angel, have fun with your friends."

"Mother! Everyone is looking at us, don't call me angel"

"No one is looking, Draco! Don't fuss, _angel._"

On Christmas morning, Lucius was nothing but stressed. He promised Narcissa a great dinner at the Manor and refused her help, saying he was able to get everything done and order the elves correctly. But he wasn't and that was what the poor man discovered after an elf came to him asking what table cloth he would prefer and what kind of food would be served.

"Do what your mistress usually orders you to, creature!"

The elf, with eyes widened, managed to say with a trembling little voice: "Master, Mistress has 10 different basic menus for Christmas. Which one Master wants?"

"Really, TEN menus, Narcissa?" – he thought. Lucius decided to pick a random number and order the elf do it, probably the ten were equally wonderful, as his wife was perfect with party organization.

Lucius spent all the day dealing with issues he had no talent to arrange: flowers, food, decorations and other refined details. It would be only him and Narcissa, since Draco was at school. Mr. Malfoy only had to plan a small dinner and be sure the mansion was in total organization: he didn't want Narcissa to see the little mess that was formed in the house during the months she didn't live there.

When Lucius assured himself that everything was going well, he retired for the master bedroom to get ready. After taking a bath, he shaved and used the cologne he knew his wife adored. For clothing, Lucius opted for a grey set of robes with green and silver details. After some minutes in front of the mirror, he decided to let his hair go loose and not to use his usual ponytail.

At six, the man was already sat on the living room couch waiting for Narcissa. At seven, she arrived.

"Hello, Lucius, Merry Christmas!"

"Hello, Narcissa." Saying that, Mr. Malfoy greeted his wife with a brief kiss and distanced himself to take a better look at her. Stunning, as always. She was wearing a red fitting dress, long sleeved and at knee's length. Her blond hair was also loose with the curls on the tips that he loved and a huge diamond necklace valued the simple outfit. He just smiled.

"Love, the decoration is fantastic and you did it all by yourself! I'm proud of you, Lucius Malfoy!" She laughed and closed the distance between them resting her temple on his and encircling her arms around his neck. The couple stood there for some time and was startled by an elf saying the wine and appetizers were in the living room.

After drinking some wine and talking a lot, the Malfoys were just enjoying the company of each other in a loveseat. Narcissa had her head rested on Lucius' shoulder while he gently patted her leg. It was him who broke the comforting silence.

"Cissa, I'd like to give you your Christmas gift."

She adjusted herself to see what was coming. Lucius took a little velvet box inside of a pocket and handed it to his wife. Inside was a beautiful white gold band craved with emeralds and diamonds. A simple jewel, nothing flamboyant, but with an enormous value. Discreet and still very beautiful, exactly the kind of things Narcissa liked.

"Lucius, I loved the ring!" She placed her "new wedding band" above the old one on her left hand and turned the hand a few times to see the diamonds sparkling. Then came the smirk. Narcissa felt it was the perfect time to give her husband the news…

"Oh, love, you must be thinking I got no presents for you, right?" He frowned. In fact, Lucius though after giving her such a beautiful ring he would see what his wife had bought him, but never mind, her presence was the best gift he could ask for. "Don't be disappointed, Lucius! Your gift is upstairs."

"How come it's upstairs, Cissa? You never left the room and I didn't see you using your wand too. What did my wicked girl do this time?"

Narcissa laughed and winked for him. "Nothing wicked, Lucius, I swear. It's quite simple. Your gift is upstairs in one of my suitcases. I asked Chilly to put them in our bedroom."

"Your suitcases? Does it mean…? Lucius' eyes were glimmering; from their talking in their last date, he couldn't guess Narcissa would be home so soon.

"Yes, it means I'm back home_."_

In a second, Lucius stood up and scooped Narcissa from the sofa into his arms.

"Lucius, what are you doing?"

"We're going upstairs, Cissa!"

"Honey, we're supposed to dinner first, we have plenty of time to…ah….later, love!" Narcissa blushed a little. After so many months apart from Lucius, she could feel like it would like a "first time" again.

"Dinner can wait, but I miss you so much, I can't wait anymore."

Both were laughing when Lucius started climbing the stairs, Narcissa in his arms.

"Ok, Lucius Malfoy, you won. But promise me something?"

Lucius stopped on the second floor hall and gently put Narcissa on her feet again. Looking into her blue eyes, he said, sincerely: "Anything."

"Promise me we'll never let our struggles tear us apart like that. It's not healthy for our relationship, Lucius. This time we made through it, but I fear it ruining us if it happens again in the future".

"I know, Narcissa, and I promise that I won't let my pride and my stubbornness do that to us again. I love you so much to let you go for something so insignificant."

She just nodded. Linking her hand with his, Narcissa led them both to their bedroom. The Malfoy couple was about to start a new phase in their marriage. One with more confidence and trust, with even more love and understanding. God knows it would be their strength that would keep the family together in the next few troubled years.

oOoOoOoOo

The next months were almost perfect for Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. Since their son was at Hogwarts and the work in Lucius' department at the Ministry wasn't very massive (the organization of Triwizard Tournament was taking the mainly efforts and nobody really cared for other department's activities), the couple had time to travel a lot, visiting some tiny wizard villages with good hotels and great culinary in France, Italy and Greece.

The two of them were very happy with the new stage they got in their marriage, altough not everything was perfect in the Malfoy's life. One afternoon, in early June, Lucius was answering some letters in his office and Narcissa, with the help of Chilly, decided to arrange the flowers recently collected from the gardens. While putting some white lilies in a vase, the woman heard a loud noise, like a yell, coming from her husband's office. She let the flowers and, in a minute, Narcissa entered the room just to see Lucius grabbing his forearm, his expression showing pure pain, his grey eyes widened.

"Lucius, what's happening? I heard you yelling!"

With some difficult, due to pain, Lucius managed to give his wife a reply: "The… The dark mark, Narcissa. I told you, it's been hurting for months, but this time the whole thing was more real, it was like it was gaining life again, like the old times, when the Dark Lord was still with us".

Narcissa felt cold running in her spine. It couldn't be true, that man was dead, wasn't he? Of course she heard Bella and Lucius discussing in the past the Dark Lord's ideal to defeat death. But the only method she had knowledge to do that was a horrible dark art, one that she didn't considered anyone to have the courage to use, even Lord Voldemort. "Nonsense, Narcissa, stop this rubbish" – she thought.

"Narcissa, are you fine?"

"Sorry, Lucius, I…. I don't know what to say". Trying to put on a neutral face, she attempted to calm Lucius. "Why don't you talk to Severus later? He probably understands this way better than me. Now, come on, you should sleep a little. I'll finish this boring mail for you, just go upstairs and rest". Saying this, Narcissa placed a chaste kiss on her husbands' lips and helped him rising up.

"I'm fine, Cissa, really."

"I know, but a little nap will help you getting over it. We'll discuss the matter later, for now, I just want my handsome husband to stop for a while and take some rest, ok?"

"As you wish, Mrs. Malfoy."

Later that night, when the couple was having dinner, Narcissa took the chance to talk about an invitation the couple got.

"Love, this afternoon, when you were sleeping, an invitation arrived. It was from the Ministry. It seems they're hosting a ball in celebration to the end of the Triwizard Tournament, and, of course, we're invited. Fudge will be there straight after the whole thing ends at Hogwarts to announce who was the winner."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Fudge is an old fool. The Ministry is already spending a fortune in this Tournament and now the man decides to throw a fancy ball… Like we were very interested in a teenage competition". He sighed. "You know we'll have to go, right Cissa? In my position it would be very ungraceful to skip the little celebration."

Narcissa tilted her head and pouted. "Couldn't you go alone, love? You'll have your colleagues there! Oh Lucius, you know how dreadful I find this social events".

Clicking his tongue, Lucius took hold of Narcissa's hand over the table and smirked. "Narcissa, I thought we were in a more supportive phase of our marriage, and you'd be delighted to go along with your husband to this party".

"You really know how to get what you want, Lucius." Narcissa couldn't deny her company to him, in fact, he was being nothing but perfect with her, doing everything to make her happy and she knew how he also disliked those kind of events, it would be horrible for her husband to be alone there too. And maybe, just maybe, the woman was doing it to give Violet Parkinson a glimpse of her absolutely healthy and lengthy marriage. Mrs. Malfoy could imagine the fuss Mrs. Parkinson would do if she saw Lucius arriving alone at the party.

oOoOoOoOo

"Narcissa, are you finally ready to leave?" Lucius entered the master bedroom adjusting the tie of his fancy vest and searching for his wife. It was almost eight o'clock and they didn't go to the ball yet. The man had to admit that one of his wife's worst failures was being ready to go out at the right time. Narcissa, even being that beautiful, always needed hours to get ready, but maybe it was a woman thing, his friends always complained the same about their wives.

"Almost, Lucius! I'm coming, love, give me just a minute!" Five minutes later, a stunning Narcissa Malfoy came from the closet, making Lucius' jaw drop. "What do you think, Lucius? Too much? This hairstyle, I didn't quite like it."

"You're kidding me, love? You're absolutely perfect." Standing up, Lucius walked on Narcissa's direction and embraced her from behind, whispering in her ear: "Amazing dress, and the hair is elegant, beautiful and simple, just like you are." She wore a pale colored dress, rhinestone encrusted, her blond hair in a tight low bun.

"I'm glad you liked". Caressing his hands that were resting on her waist, Narcissa almost forgot they had to leave. To be true, she didn't want to go to that party, not only because she wasn't a social person, but because she felt something bad coming. Since she was a little girl, Narcissa had the ability of feeling things that were to happen. She never liked to think it were premonitions; in fact, she didn't believe a lot in subjects like Divination, always thinking that what she felt was due to a more accurate sixth sense.

"Let's go, love? As much as I adore having you just for me, in my arms, we have to attend this ball, it will be good for my image in the Ministry, you know."

"Of course, Lucius. We shall go, then?"

Fudge probably spent a great deal of money in that ball. The decoration was thematic, revealing that the last task on the Triwizard Tournament had something to do with labyrinths. The tables of food had a miniature of a grass labyrinth , the food placed on the spaces of it. The illumination and other details were well planed as well. A beautiful party, but a little bit extravagant. Well, nothing you couldn't expect from Cornelius Fudge. Narcissa was thinking exactly that, her arm linked with Lucius', the two of them making a big entrance, attracting too much attention in the ballroom.

"Like peacocks, these two. Always making a big exhibition, arriving late on purpose, I bet". Arthur Weasley, who was already on his second dose of firewhiskey, murmured to Graham Perkins, who was at his side. While passing the two men, Lucius made a disgusted expression and leaned his head close to his wife, speaking in a low tone, although pretty audible to Weasley and Perkins: "If I knew what kind of person would be invited to this party, I'd probably reconsider our decision to come, Narcissa. It's unbelievable that employees in a rank so low are allowed to come to this kind of events."

Narcissa, assuring to use a tone that only Lucius could hear – the last thing she could endure was a public fight with Arthur Weasley – reprehended her husband: "Don't start with this, Lucius."

"Fine. Just because you asked me to. But I bet this fool didn't bring his awful wife because he doesn't want to show her terrible figure in a ball gown." Lucius said that with a teenager expression, but Narcissa's eyes, although unaffected to the public, showed him pure disdain. The woman discreetly pushed him to a reserved place at the room. "Funny, Lucius, but _I _bet she had a more _mature_ reason not to come. You'll stop this nonsense, fine? Don't act like you're Draco's age, it's not funny… and, to be sincere, your comment just gave me the impression you insisted for me to come today just to show me to your friends like a trophy wife".

He widened his eyes and shook his head. "Narcissa! How could you think this? You know I never considered you a 'trophy'." She curled her lips. "Better this way, Lucius. For now, just behave." Winking quickly, she led them both to the middle of the ballroom again. The couple met many of their old peers: the Dolohovs, the Greengrasses, the Goyles (Mrs. Goyle in a horrible purple dress that only accentuated her plum appearance) and the Crabbes. Of course they met Violet Parkinson too. She took a moment when her husband was talking with some men to approach the Malfoys.

"Lucius, Narcissa! I'm so happy to see that after all you managed to stay together!"

"I'm sorry, Violet, but I don't know what you're talking about." Lucius cut the woman off. She didn't even have time to recover before he excused them of her presence. "I'm sorry, but if you excuse us, Narcissa and I have to talk to some Russian wizards, you know of my position in the Department of International Relations."

When the couple was walking in the direction of dark haired men with austere faces - the Russians - Lucius stopped halfway. Narcissa could feel his body tensing and his hands getting cold on her arm. "It can't be happening." She shook her head, confused. "What can't be happening, Lucius?"

Looking around the room, Narcissa could see many faces contorting. Crabbe and Goyle were horrified, Dolohov wore a astonished expression. It didn't take long for her to understand what was the connection between these whole situations. "Let's get out of here, Lucius. To the gardens, now."

When outside, the couple let their worries appear. They didn't dare showing any kind of panic inside the room. Unlike the others, Lucius managed to hold his usual impassive face, pretending nothing was happening. Lucius took Narcissa's hands in his and spoke almost inaudible, his voice, almost a whisper, thrilled and feared at the same time, a strange mixture that reminded his wife of harder times.

"He's back. I feel it, Cissa. I must go, I must see it with my own eyes. The mark burned in the exactly way it did when he called us all those years ago, and you saw the face of the other men at the party."

"Don't." It was all she could say. Her premonition, or what the hell that bad feeling was, made perfect sense now. What could be worst, at this moment, then the return of The Dark Lord? Draco was at a critical age and probably would die to join the cause. Lucius would have that hectic life again, conciliating his job at the Ministry and his duty as a Death Eater, going on crazy missions, risking his life... But at the same time, she knew he had to go, he sold his soul to Voldemort, and there wasn't a way of undoing it.

"Look, angel, I'll be fine, I _want_ to go and, Narcissa, you know quite well that even if I didn't want to, I would _have_ to go". He held her face with his both hands. "Go straight home and don't open the door to anyone. I'll think of an excuse for us to be off of this party earlier."

She closed her eyes and breathed a few times. "Go, then. But be careful, Lucius, I beg you."

"I'll be home with you soon, love. Trust me, everything will be fine, nothing will change in our lives, I promise."

Saying that, he desapparated in thin air, leaving Narcissa alone with her thoughts. It wasn't the first time in their life he leaved her like that, promising nothing would change and that everything would be just fine. Unfortunately, she knew that keeping those promises wasn't something in her husband's power. As long as the Dark Lord existed, the Malfoys would never be free.

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A/N: Hi, everyone! Hope you liked this chapter and would love to hear your opinions. I'm sorry for the delay on posting it, but I had some "block" while writing and time was short last month!

- Oh, something I'd like to share with you... Narcissa's ball gown was inspired in this dress:

[As I had some problems with posting the link, i put it on my profile, be welcome to see it]

Also, as I'm already showing the picture, I must confess I always imagine Narcissa like Naomi Watts; to me, the actress fits sooo well!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hope you like chapter seven! Thanks to everyone for the reviews and for all the 'favorites' and 'follows' :)**

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It happened too fast: the connection between Harry's and Voldemort's wands, the chosen boy moving around the cemetery, taking hold of the portkey and disappearing with Cedric Diggory. It took only seconds for Voldemort's rage come to surface.

"How did this boy managed to run away from Lord Voldemort? You are a bunch of incompetents, all of you!" The Dark Lord shouted with his Death Eaters, using them as a target to direct his anger.

"But Milorde, you asked us to back off, sir… you said you would do the job with Potter… We… we just did what you ordered… Please, forgive us all." Most probably, Goyle forgot the he wasn't supposed to contradict his master or the man was stupid enough to think Voldemort wouldn't take his insubordination as a reason to discount His fury.

"C_rucio" _Goyle was thrown in the air by the force of the curse, his body contorting in every way possible, his shouts filling the cemetery until he collapsed on the floor, still screaming and pleading for mercy.

Lucius, who was watching the scene completely astonished, didn't have much time to comprehend anything before the Dark Lord summoned him to the middle of the circle, right next to where Goyle laid unconscious. "I think here we have the next volunteer to be punished. Lucius, Lucius, Lucius, you always had a huge impression of yourself, always thought you were superior then everyone. Let Lord Voldemort teach you something: you're nothing, Lucius. _I_ command you! You do what _I_ wish, you are who _I_ tell you to be, and you should've come find me. After all, you had the prestige, you had the money, you had influence to hide almost everything, it wouldn't be so hard to find your master…. But what did you do? You feigned to be under an Imperius, you cleared yourself and forgot about your lord. What a shame, Lucius, what a disgust you are! And I was naïve enough to think you were one of my best servants. You're a weak man, Malfoy, you should've learned something from your sister-in-law, who was, and I know, still is, a true devoted servant. But never mind, Lucius, your punishment is coming now. _CRUCIO!_"

Lucius' session of torture was much longer than Goyle's. The Dark Lord used the Cruciatus Curse for many times, until the blond man couldn't move anymore, having some bones broken and cuts all over his body. Almost unconscious, Lucius watched his colleagues being punished, one by one. Some with more vigor, some with more indulgence, but no Death Eater escaped from the Lord's attack of fury. Some time later, eyes half open, Lucius Malfoy saw another man apparating at the cemetery. He could hear the man's long cloak rustling on the grass, the voice was low but still very recognizable: Severus. What would the Dark Lord do to him? Before Lucius could think of it, all went black, and he felt nothing but the fatigue over his body.

"Lucius, LUCIUS! Wake up!" Severus Snape was tapping Lucius Malfoy on the arm, trying to make his friend regain conscious. For the environment, the teacher could see that Lord Voldemort took his rage out by punishing his servants, and that Lucius' punishment had been one of the cruelest. Other men had already woken up and disapparated, only few remained there. Severus had a long talk with the Dark Lord, explaining the "job" he did in Hogwarts all those years, excusing himself for the failures and, in return, for Merlin's sake, he avoided any kind of torture.

"Lucius, please, I have to carry you home before returning to Hogwarts, wake up!" The word _home_ took its effects on Lucius. The man slowly regained some conscious, opening his grey eyes with some difficult, but quite aware of where he was and what had happened just hours before.

"Severus?"

"Yes, Lucius, it's me, thank goodness you're fine. Now, I know you're weak, but try to make an effort for us to get off here the quicker we can, right?"

"Fine. How is Draco? Did anything happen to my son in that damned school? And Narcissa? You know about my wife?"

"Calm down, Malfoy! Draco is perfectly fine and I can assure you the boy has no idea of how complex this whole situation is. As for Narcissa, I know nothing, but she's probably home and worried sick with you. That's exactly why I insist: let's go out of here". Saying that, Severus took hold of Lucius by the waist and helped him getting up. Doing a side-along apparation, they were, in seconds, in front of the gates of Malfoy Manor. Lucius unlocked it with his wand and both men walked slowly to the front door, which was immediately opened by a startled Narcissa.

"Lucius! What happened to you, love?" Narcissa hugged him carefully, afraid of breaking more bones or aggravating his pain. Suppressing a sob, she took hold of his shoulders and helped him to a nearby couch. "Stay here, don't move, I'll be right back. You'll be fine."

Severus watched his old friends; he felt a trace of compassion but a little jealousy too. Lucius would always have Narcissa by his side to comfort him, even at the hardest times and he couldn't say the same for himself, since he never had a real chance with his Lily. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Narcissa, her voice cold and harsh. "Severus, come and help me with the potions, please."

When they were out of the living room, Narcissa let her rage be clear and caught Severus off guard.

"What happened to my husband? Who did that to Lucius? It was Him, I bet. That horrid man. So he's back, fabulous! Now my life will get all troubled again, Lucius arriving home all injured, Draco in danger. SAY SOMETHING, SEVERUS!"

Snape's face couldn't be more confused. He had seen Narcissa out of herself a few times before, but always preferred not to deal with her in such state. But this time he had no choice, her friend needed answers and Lucius was way too weak to explain anything. "Narcissa, breathe. Yes, the Dark Lord is back. With the assistance of Wormtail he now has a 'new body' and depends on no one for living anymore. He attracted Potter to the cemetery he was doing the ritual of dark magic and the boy managed to escape, once again. This got the Dark Lord enraged, you can imagine, and he decided to punish the Death Eaters for their absence during the years he disappeared. It was obviously the perfect excuse for him to take his rage on someone."

"I understand. But why aren't you injured as well, Severus?" Her tone was sarcastic.

Severus didn't get offended with her 'accusation'. He understood Narcissa's despair at that moment and also her need of any kind of information about the whole situation. "I wasn't there the time he tortured the other men, including Lucius. I needed to be at Dumbledore's side, Narcissa. When I arrived, I explained to the Dark Lord my position as a spy for all those years and he valued the information I could provide him, I think that's why I wasn't tortured."

She just nodded. They now were at a small room, full of cabinets where Narcissa kept the potions, medicines and other items related to health care. She quickly got a vial of a pain killer potion and essence of dittany. Next, the woman heated some water in a pot using her wand and grabbed a piece of fabric to clean Lucius' cuts. She didn't want to just vanish the blood doing the _Tergeo_ spell, since her husband preferred the non-magical way of cleaning injuries, his organism always had awful reactions to that spell.

"I'm sorry, Sev." Her eyes were filled with tears she fought to restrain. "It's not your fault and I'm acting like a crazy person treating you so bad. Thank you for bringing him home."

"It's alright, Narcissa."

"No, it's not. You're here to help me and I'm being terrible. Don't get upset, please. The fact is that I don't know what to do! It hurts me so much to see Lucius in that condition. I thought I'd never have to heal these injuries again, I thought it had ended. I believe in the cause, don't misunderstand me. But I don't have the heart to see my husband like this anymore, I'm older, I'm more fragile, I fear the Dark Lord involving Draco on his plans and knowing my son, he'll think this is an honor. I just can't deal with this all over again, Sev."

"Shh." Severus took hold of her hands. He was never good with that kind of contact, but she needed some comfort, and that was all he could do for his friend. "Narcissa, you're one of the bravest women I ever met. I'm not recognizing this weakness you're showing. Held you head upright and be strong for Lucius and for Draco, they will need your support. And please, do not mention any of this to anyone. If the Dark Lord hears any of the things you said, the punishment can be even more severe. And if I can give you an advice, Occlumency will be very much needed from now on."

"Thank you Severus, for all. Now I'll go take care of Lucius, he needs me."

"That's the Narcissa Malfoy I know. I'm going, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Of course, thank you again. And Sev, please, keep an eye on my son. Don't let him get into trouble and say more than he's supposed to."

"I'll talk to him, Narcissa. Send my best wishes to Lucius."

Narcissa knelled next to the sofa Lucius was laying on and gently brushed her fingers on his face, an attempt to wake him. "Love, it's me…We have to heal these injuries." He woke and sat upright, not without some "ouches" due to the broken bones in his arm and ribs. She kissed his lips before giving him a dose of the pain killer potion. Wetting the piece of fabric with the warm water, Narcissa gently removed all the dried blood from his cuts and made some incantations to stop the bleeding in some of them. With the essence of dittany, she healed all the cuts. Lucius flinched, but did his best not to scream; his wife was being so careful not to hurt him that he didn't want to show that, despite everything, it was still hurting considerably.

"Lucius, I think it's better to go to St. Mungus now."

His eyes widened. "No, Cissa, no way. It will be suspicious, imagine if some other Death Eater had the same idea? Potter probably already spread the news of the return of the Dark Lord, he was there, the boy, I need to tell you what happened!"

"Severus told me a part of the story; we'll talk about this later, love… For now, just let me take you to see a healer, I'm afraid of doing the wrong enchantment on your bones".

Lucius gave her an encouraging smile. "I trust you to do it. You've already done it other times, Cissa, it's not too complicated and you are a really talented witch. Do it for me, I don't want to create suspicions around us."

Taking hold of her wand, Narcissa did the spells she knew that were necessary to emend the bones. In minutes, the job was done and the woman thought Lucius was alright again, or at least, she hoped so. He promptly stood up and hugged her carefully.

"See, love, I'm fine. You did it perfectly, like always."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Lucius and Narcissa were at the King's Cross Station waiting for the Hogwarts Express for fifteen minutes now. Wearing elegant muggle clothes, they stood on the other side of the barrier, outside the Platform 9 3/4. The couple just wanted to pick their son and go straight home. The return of the Dark Lord was going to bring huge transformations and Narcissa pretended to keep Draco the more distant she could from Him, which Lucius had agreed to be the best course of action. They needed to assure the boy wouldn't say more than he was supposed to, avoiding to cause suspicions evidences about Lucius' position as a Death Eater.

Molly Weasley was there too, probably waiting for her bunch of children, but the Malfoys didn't change a single glance with her. Lucius and Narcissa just stood there, her arm linked in his, both wearing the same cold and unaffected expression. They could say the train had arrived because several familiar faces were coming to meet their families: that awful Parkinson girl, the mudblood, Potter and many Weasleys, although they saw no sight of Draco… Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, his loyal doormats, were nowhere to be seen too. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy looked at each other, both comprehending something unsaid between them: something must be wrong.

When they transposed the barrier, the Hogwarts Express was still there, few students gathered at the platform, saying their final goodbyes before the summer vacation. Narcissa and Lucius entered the train, searching for any signs of their son in the cabinets.

"Draco!" Lucius and Narcissa called him repeatedly just to have no answer in return.

Narcissa and Lucius had checked many compartments when they heard someone moaning. Quickly, the coupled walked in the sound's direction and found what they were looking for. Draco, Vincent and Gregory were on the floor, apparently starting to recover their senses, their whole bodies covered with boils, tentacles and other disgusting things, probably the effect of a combination of jinxes.

"Dear Merlin, what is this?" Narcissa looked at the boys in disbelief. Who _dared_ to do that to her son? Draco was disfigured! Of course, that wasn't something she and Lucius couldn't solve with some spells to revert the jinxes and vanish all the weird signs in his body, but still, it was _unbelievable_! Withdrawing their wands, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy undid all the damage made on the boys.

"_Enervate" _Lucius did the spell on Draco first, making the boy return to a state of consciousness. Seeing his parents in front of them, Lucius with a face that showed nothing but disappointment and Narcissa visibly worried, Draco felt really ashamed. How he would explain for great Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy that he was knocked down by Potter, Weasley and the mudblood?

"Father, Mother, how did you get here?"

Lucius rolled his eyes and answered his son's question with a hint of impatience on his voice. "Well, we tried to only wait for you outside the platform, just like normal people does, Draco. But after waiting for almost fifteen minutes and seeing no sight of you, we decided to come and look… that's when we found you and these two morons on the floor with tentacles and other anomalies on your bodies. How despicable, Draco."

Narcissa looked at Lucius and sighed. That was not the time or the place to discuss the matter, their prior need was to gather the boys and go home. "Slow down, Lucius! Just do the enervate spell on Vincent and Gregory and give the boys a help, I'll be on charge of Draco. Come, son." She passed her arm around Draco's shoulders and helped him since he had little strength to walk alone. Lucius was helping both Crabbe and Goyle to move, which made him stay considerably behind his wife and son. When the group exited the train, Mrs. Goyle and Mrs. Crabbe were already on the Platform 9 3/4, probably searching for their sons too.

"Antonella, Bridget." Narcissa, her tone clear and cold, directed herself to the women standing on the Platform. She couldn't understand how two _mothers_ waited for so long to go looking for their sons. Well, of course they wasn't very gifted with discernment and intelligence to completely comprehend how complex the atmosphere on the Wizards' society was becoming, but Narcissa hoped they had at least a stronger mother instinct.

"Ladies, if you don't mind to be in charge of your sons from now on." It was all Lucius Malfoy managed to say without being disrespectful. Damn it, those boys were as heavy as cows, and he didn't have the obligation to carry them forever, they had parents for that.

Antonella Goyle and Bridget Crabbe went forward to help their sons, both with questioning gazes and confused faces. Seeing the other women confusion but knowing that Lucius' presence was intimidating and probably they wouldn't ask what was on their minds, Narcissa decided to give a short explanation. "My husband and I found your sons with Draco on Hogwarts Express, the boys were hit by various jinxes and unconscious. We just controlled the damage, but they're still weak. Now that everything was said, we better go."

"Oh, thank you, Narcissa, Lucius." Mrs. Goyle and Mrs. Crabbe said almost in unison and started moving with Gregory and Vincent. Lucius took hold of Draco and Narcissa walked by their side. Outside King's Cross Station, a luxurious car from the Ministry was parked, waiting for them. Of course that being a very influent Ministry official, Lucius had some privileges.

At Malfoy Manor, the family went to Lucius' study. The parents needed to know exactly what happened to Draco, since the situation he was was very peculiar. Lucius poured himself a dose of firewhisky and sat on his chair, behind his desk. Draco was sat across his father and Narcissa preferred not to sit and went to stand behind her husband, her hands resting on his shoulders, an attempt to keep him calm while talking with Draco.

"So, Draco… Can you explain for us that ridiculous scene we saw on the train?" His voice was cold, a tone Draco knew too well, the one that showed his father disappointment. Lucius always expected only the best from his heir and that made him act a little too harsh with the boy sometimes, despite the fact he actually was a loving father.

"I'm sorry, dad. I mean, father."

"You should be. But I didn't ask if you were sorry, I just asked what happened." Narcissa pressed her fingers on his shoulder. She didn't like when Lucius treated Draco like that.

"Yes, father. I went to Potter's compartment with Crabbe and Goyle to mock him a little. You know, with the return of the Dark Lord I had to remind him that he chose the wrong side of the battle. I said that since he refused to be on our side, he and his friends will be one of the first to get vanquished."

Lucius smirked. At least Draco had inherited his sense of pride and blood honor. He would never protect the scum of the Wizard community; the boy was a real pureblood. "And? What happened next?"

"Well, Potter got a little nervous and, with his friends and the Weasley twins, shot several jinxes on us, we didn't have time to protect ourselves."

"Unbeliavable, Draco! You don't have the competence to do simple shield charms!"

"Lucius!" Narcissa tried to stop him. Humiliating Draco wasn't going to make things better, in fact, the boy being beaten by Potter wasn't what made her worried. What was annoying her the most was Draco's suggestions about their involvement with the Dark Lord. Of course everyone knew the Malfoy family was strictly bound to blood status but they managed to deny any kind of involvement with Voldemort during the last years and she wouldn't let her naïve son say more than he was supposed to. But before Narcissa could say any of this, she felt Lucius tensing on the chair.

"Lucius? Are you fine?"

"Yes, Cissa. It's just Him calling. I have to go now." Standing up, he gave her a kiss on the temple and whispered sweet nothings on her ear, trying to comfort her and to attenuate her preoccupations. Directing himself to where Draco was sat, Lucius said: "This conversation is not over, Draco. For now, I have other commitments to attend, but we will discuss later your lack of attitude."

Draco seemed not to hear a word from his father. The simple mention of a meeting arranged by the Dark Lord turned him too excited. The boy couldn't avoid to question, he needed to try, at least. "Father, can I go with you? I'd love to be a new member to the force! Please!"

"NO WAY, DRACO! Don't even mention this nonsense!" Narcissa's voice was high and irritated. She wouldn't let her boy be a part of that horror. He was just a child after all. "Lucius, my love, you may go. Let me talk with our son, and please be careful, right?"

"Always, Narcissa. I'm always careful. See you two later." Lucius conjured his hood and black robes before apparating into thin air, leaving his wife and son alone in his study.

"Mom, why can't I go with father? I appreciate the cause, I want to be a part of it."

Breathing a few times, Narcissa tried to get calmer, she hated to be out of herself, but her son was starting to cross the line! "Draco, you will listen to me at least this time. I know I raised you to be a spoilt boy but you can't have all you want every time, are you getting it? Being a Death Eater is not like training duels with your friends, son. It's a serious matter that involves risking your life… You would never imagine the horrors your father passed doing his tasks."

Impatiently, Draco went on, he had his mind set on being a Death Eater and he wouldn't allow his mother to treat him like a child. "Mother, I can take care of myself. I know various curses and father can teach me the unforgivables and any other I need to learn to be one of them!"

Narcissa couldn't help but laugh. An acid laugh, to be true. "Oh, really, Draco? You know how to protect yourself… Just like you did today on Hogwarts Express, right? Come to your senses, boy. You wouldn't last a day; you can't even defend yourself from a bunch of school boys, imagine if you had real enemies!"

"MOTHER, YOU ARE BEING CRUEL!"

"Don't use this tone with me. Low your voice now!" Narcissa's voice was colder than ever. How she hated to be rude with her darling, but Draco sometimes needed a severe talking to comprehend he was just a fourteen year old, that he didn't have Lucius' strength and needed to behave accordingly to his age. "I'm not being cruel, I'm only being realistic. Now you'll go to your room. Take your time to reflect about the awful behavior you had today and why I'm not allowing you to take the Dark Mark. At seven, I'll send Chilly with your dinner, tomorrow morning, I want my loving son at the breakfast table and not this rebel teenager I just dealt with, are we clear?"

"Yes, mother."

After Draco ascended the stairs, Narcissa threw herself in a nearby couch, staring fixedly at the ceiling. Voldemort was back to their lives for less than a week and it had already coast the peace in her house. She was awful with Draco, she had just humiliated the boy, on the same way she always reprehended Lucius for acting.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night, Mrs. Malfoy was laid on her side of the four poster bed in the master bedroom. Lucius was still out in some unknown task to the Dark Lord and because of this, added to the prior fight she had with her son, she couldn't sleep. The woman heard a noise coming from the first floor, the door closing. She startled. "No it's just Lucius… I hope", she thought. When she heard footsteps approaching, she called, with the sing-song tone she always used to greet her husband.

"Love, is that you?"

"Yes, Cissa." When he answered, Lucius was already entering the bedroom, his hood on hand, still dressed in the black cloak. Placing the hood at a center table near the fireplace, he headed to their bed, placing a sweet kiss on his wife's lips. "Why aren't you sleeping, love?"

Caressing his face with the tips of her fingers, Narcissa decided she would say the truth. Apparently, Lucius didn't have quite a hard night, since she was not seeing any evidences of injuries. "I couldn't. I was worried with you and also… Oh, Lucius, I had a terrible fight with Draco earlier and I'm feeling so bad about it."

"Sh… calm down, love, I bet you had your motives for that." Kissing her temple, Lucius tried to soothe her, he knew how awful Narcissa felt when she had some problem with Draco; she overly protected the boy and had a tendency to spoil him, and because of that, his wife tended to suffer harder with any confrontation. "I'll take a bath and change this robes, wait right here for me and we'll talk, I don't want to see you so sad."

"Right. Thank you, Lucius, for your patience with me."

"It's not patience, Narcissa, it's simply love." Winking for his wife, he entered the bathroom. She chuckled and felt some tears beginning to fall, she would never understand the impact Lucius had over her, a mixture of love, trust, confidence, strength…with his mere presence at the house, things already seemed to be a little better.

Wearing his silver silk pajamas, Lucius laid back against the pillows and embraced Narcissa, letting her head rest on his chest. "Now, what happened between you and Draco, love?"

Sighing, she moved her left hand to caress his abdomen and started to explain the events that took place after his departure. "Well, you were still here when he asked to come with you to the meeting, love. Apparently our son fixed on his mind that he wants, or has the obligation, to become a Death Eater. He asked me why he couldn't and I tried to argument calmly, exposing the danger he would be inflicted to, I tried to dissuade him, but he kept saying he wasn't a child, that he could defend himself."

"Defend himself? Like he did on the train?" Lucius spat disdainfully. Narcissa flinched to the simple mention of that, it was exactly the point in her discussion with her son that things turned a little more aggressive. "What, Cissa? I'm sorry, I should have controlled myself."

"No, Lucius, I did the same as you did. I told him that! I told him he wasn't even able to defend himself from school boys today on the train an that he wouldn't last a day on the Dark Lord's service. And I think it was too much, he got offended, I humiliated him, it's not right!"

"And what was his reaction?"

"Well, he shouted at me, accusing me of cruelty. I got even colder with him and order the boy not to leave his room until tomorrow morning." A long pause was settled. The couple stood there embraced, just reflecting.

"I'm an awful mother, Lucius. I shouldn't be that cruel to him, he's just a boy, he doesn't know what he says. I think I don't have limits with Draco, you know? Sometimes I spoil him too much and other times I'm nothing bot cold and rude, saying things he does not need to hear, making him feel underrated. I just hoped he understood why I'm not going to let him throw his life away with the Dark Lord. We both know he does not have the personality to attend to this Death Eater meetings, but how can I tell my son this without being a total monster?"

Lucius held her chin and inclined it to make her eyes link with his. "Don't ever say you're an awful mother, Narcissa, because if you're not good I don't know what to say about me." She swayed slightly her head. He was a good father, too much severe sometimes, but his love for his son was something undeniable.

Lucius continued, never letting their gazes broke apart. "Look, angel, we'll never be perfect, but I can assure you that you're almost there. Your love for Draco is the most beautiful thing I ever saw and this fights are so common, Cissa… he's a teenager, it's a complicated phase. Besides, the boy adores you. I bet tomorrow morning everything will be fine between you two."

Her mouth opened to say something but he covered it with a finger. "You don't even have to ask. I'm at your side on this decision: Draco is not joining the Death Eaters, at least during the time he's under our custody. I don't think it will be of any good for him to be a part of it. He's too young, too naïve and really doesn't have the nerves that the job requires."

She just nodded. It was all she needed to hear, Lucius agreed with her and she knew her husband would do everything in his power to protect their son from the Dark Lord and from His potential influence. "Now let's talk about you, Lucius. How did it go today? It was a mission?"

"No, it was just a planning meeting, Cissa. The Dark Lord has so many ideas this time; I'm really impressed on how he thought about everything. There's a whole scheme to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, to conquer the confidence of giants and other creatures… And, love, he's talking about plans for Azkaban too…"

"What do you mean, Lucius? Plans for Azkaban?"

"He plans to have the Dementors on our side too and with that, he's hoping to set your sister and the Lestrange brothers free."

"Bella? Out of Azka… WHAT, Lucius?" Narcissa removed herself from his embrace and sat on her knees, waiting to listen more about that new information about her older sister.

"Narcissa, be calm. I was strictly told not to mention this to anyone, okay?" She put on a bored face that showed him that the last line was obvious information, she would never comment any of the things she heard from him about the Dark Lord's plans, of course. "It's only a part of his plains. He pretends to have full control of the Wizard Society, what includes commanding Azkaban, for sure. And if he gets to that, he's probably setting Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan free. He considers your sister to be his most loyal servant, and, well, he's right, you know that."

"Well, at least one good thing this man will do for our family."

"Cissa, don't say that."

"What can I say, Lucius? What did he do for us, until now, that can be considered _good_?"

"Things will change, love, you'll see. Now, come back to my arms, Cissa… Let's sleep, I'm tired and I bet you are too. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight Lucius." Saying that, Narcissa took her usual position, head in his chest, their legs intertwined. In five minutes she could sense he was already asleep. She wished she could just sleep calmly like that, but Narcissa Malfoy's head was spinning and she couldn't relax. The woman was starting to think about all the tribulations that were still to come to her family.

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**A/N: So, THE GLOBLET OF FIRE IS DONE! Next chapter, OOTP!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, everyone! I'm sorry that I took so long to post it. It's more like a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. Opinions are always welcome :D **

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"Good morning, boys." Narcissa entered the dining room wearing a simple light green dress when Lucius and Draco were already eating their breakfast. The boy just nodded, his mouth full of toast. Lucius, who was reading the Daily Prophet while sipping his coffee, put the paper aside and got up to greet his wife. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, which made Draco roll his eyes before looking away. He tended to get really embarrassed by seeing his parents' intimate moments, although it was way better than seeing them in their previous crisis.

Lucius, noticing the boy's reaction, decided to give Draco some attention too. "Did you see, son? Potter Patronus' judgment will be today, on the Ministry. They're trying to expel him from Hogwarts".

"I saw it, father! Zabini and I made a bet. I betted he'll be expelled, he cast a patronus charm and it's totally against the law! But Blaise thinks Dumbledore will make some poor excuse for his favorite student."

"Well, Draco, if he was really attacked by dementors, Potter can claim he casted the charm in self-defense and, in this case, he can't be condemned. It's a legal excuse."

"Narcissa!"

"Mom!"

Lucius and Draco protested at the same time. Narcissa chuckled; her boys would never admit any defense for Potter but she did know the boy had chances of salvation. Most probably, Draco would have to endure other years with his rival at school.

"Boys, it's just the law. If he has proofs of the dementors' attack, it won't be hard to come up with a thesis claiming his innocence. But let us hope he doesn't have the proofs, I don't want to upset you with my theories anymore."

"I hate when you defend Potter, mum! You know that." Draco pouted saying that in an offended tone.

"Angel! Don't be childish! I was just explaining the legal aspects of the case… I'm not saying that I like Harry Potter and I'm not going to be his lawyer."

"Hum… I see."

Narcissa got up and directed herself to Draco's chair. Embracing the boy from behind, she started to tickle him, talking with a teasing voice: "Oh, Draco got upset with mummy! There's no need for this, angel!" Draco couldn't repress his laugh but, after some time, he finally recomposed himself, managing to stop his mother. Trying to put on a mature face, he stood up and was on his way to exit the dining room.

"Sometimes I wish you treated me more like an adult, mother. It's embarrassing to be tickled and teased like a little kid. I'm not your little baby anymore, you should accept that."

"DRACO! You'll respect your mother, come here!" Lucius tried, in vain, to reprehend his son, but the teenager had already left the room. "I'll make him apologize to you, Cissa, don't be sad, it's just his awful hormones."

"I'm not sad, Lucius. I know I shouldn't have teased him… Sometimes I forget that Draco is not our little boy anymore. He used to have so much fun being tickled. But he's almost fifteen now, I understand his reaction, love... Let's just give him some time." Narcissa sat herself on Lucius' lap and started trailing her fingers through his hair. The man responded to her gesture of affection putting his hands gently on her tiny waist and resting his chin on her left shoulder.

"Are you going to be present at Potter's judgment?" Narcissa turned her head to look her husband in the eyes.

"I'm afraid not, Cissa. Today I have a meeting with Fudge at the Ministry, but it's about some donations I'll offer. Of course it's not with charity purposes – he winked - the only reason I'm pretending to spend my money on this is to get even more influence with Fudge. It's most important to control influent people and I'm persuading all of them to do exactly what the Dark Lord need to get the command later, and…"

At that time, Lucius could say nothing more, being too much distracted by his wife's actions. She started trailing kisses on his neck while he was still talking; then, adjusting herself on his lap, she captured his lips. Narcissa kissed him passionately, a gesture her husband gladly responded. When they broke the kiss, she rested her head on her husband's chest.

"I miss you."

Lucius knew his cheeks were starting to blush. Since the Dark Lord's return, he had less and less time to be alone with his wife. The meetings usually kept him busy until late in the night and when he arrived home, she was already sleeping or he was too tired to do anything. He would have to change that. He promised his angel that nothing and no one would stand between them.

"I miss you too. I miss us, our time together, angel. But I promise you something: I'll never let anything or ANYONE tear us apart, even Him. I recognize I'm too absent these times... I'm trying to obtain something from the Ministry that the Dark Lord required, but it's far more complicated than I thought it would be, Cissa."

"I know, Lucius. You have infinite problems to solve for Him. But, please, don't forget about me, about Draco. We need your attention too, love."

"I love you, Narcissa. I know I'm far from being perfect and you, from all people, are the one who can testify this better. But you and Draco deserve only my best, and giving you that will be my permanent compromise, I assure you." He put a strand of her blond straight hair behind her ear. "Today we're going out for dinner, the three of us. And when we get home, Mrs. Malfoy, I promise you I'll do everything to compensate my lack of attention."

"Hmm, that's my Lucius". She winked for him and kissed her husband once again. How she missed feeling his warmth against her, his strong arms enveloping her made her feel protected and even vanished her concerns about their future. Finally getting off his lap, Narcissa straightened her dress before saying: "Now you go. I don't want to be the reason for you to get late for the appointment. Good luck with your business, love."

Grabbing his suitcase, Lucius Malfoy directed himself to the fireplace. The Malfoys had their principal fireplace connected directly to the Ministry of Magic reserved area of access. After all, Lucius remained an influent man, even after losing his position as a Hogwarts Governor after the incident with Dumbledore and the Chamber of Secrets. Using the floo powder and stating clearly his destination – "Ministry of Magic private area" - he was gone in moments, leaving Narcissa with a smile on her face.

Lucius' day at the Ministry didn't go as well as he planned. Of course he successfully convinced Fudge to adopt some administrative decisions that would ensure a good environment for his personal business and, finally, the plans of obtaining the Prophecy were starting to move on. He managed to put Broderick Bode, an Unspeakable, under an Imperius curse and this, added to Rookwood's help, would provide the information the Dark Lord needed, or at least he hoped it would.

Despite his business success, the encounter Lucius had with Arthur Weasley and the Potter brat at the corridor drained his good humor. The man would never understand how that scum was allowed in such private areas at the Ministry... and that wasn't even the worst! It was really nothing comparing to the fact that "the Chosen One" managed to escape from any punishment once more, due to Dumbledore's efforts. Lucius could foresee his son's deception when knowing that Harry Potter was allowed to stay in Hogwarts.

In the afternoon, when it seemed nothing would be as awful as being insulted by Potter and Weasley at the same time, Lucius felt the familiar burning sensation in his forearm. "Oh, not today. Damn it!" – he thought. In a hurry, the man entered an office he always used at the Ministry and taking hold of parchment, ink and a quill he wrote a simple note to his wife.

_Cissa,_

_I'm terrible sorry, but our family dinner will need to be canceled. He called. Give my apologies to our son, please._

_Love,_

_L.M._

After sealing the letter, Lucius took another ten minutes to find a junior assistant who could send it to his wife. He knew he was late and the Dark Lord would be most displeased, but that was the least he could do for Narcissa. On that morning he promised her that he'd be more present and just some hours later he was already canceling their family dinner because of Him. She didn't deserve to be left on second plan and Lucius knew that by heart, but he couldn't just 'skip' a call from his master: that would be suicide.

The meeting was taking place at a house owned by Lord Voldemort's father in a village not usually frequented by wizards. Almost immediately Lucius realized he was the last one to arrive and this, for sure, wouldn't go unobserved by his master.

"Lucius, my friend! Why did you take you so long? What can be more important than my call?"

Lucius tried to appear unaffected. "Nothing, Milord. I was at the Ministry of Magic and I have good news about the Prophecy…" The man didn't have strength to finish his line. Lucius felt his head going numb, and before he could block any of his thoughts, before he could even attempt to use Occlumency, Lord Voldemort was already running through his thoughts. He saw Lucius writing the letter at the office, a flash and he was in Malfoy Manor's dining room, he watched Narcissa sat on her husband's lap, he saw the couple kissing and heard the entire talking after that. Deciding he had seen enough to explain Lucius' lateness, Voldemort left the man's mind. The other Death Eaters didn't move their eyes from Lucius' pale face, even after their master retreated to his seat. The snake voice echoed in the room, making them flinch.

"How is your pretty little wife, Lucius?"

Looking at the floor and trying to hide his embarrassment, Lucius answered the question. "She's fine. My family couldn't be happier with your return, Milord."

"Such lies, Lucius. I just saw your 'pretty thing' whining about your absence at home, and I also heard what you said." Directing himself to the other Death Eaters with a mocking yet disgusted tone, Lord Voldemort made Lucius feel even more ashamed. "My fellows, I'll tell you what the brave Lucius Malfoy said to his wife_: I miss you too. I miss us, our time together, angel. But I promise you something: I'll never let anything or ANYONE tears us apart, even Him._"

The other men in the room started to laugh and make little comments in order to please their master, but also because all of them, except Snape, had the desire to feel superior to the grand Lucius Malfoy. "That was a beautiful one, _angel!_" - "How it feels like to be your wife's pet, Malf?" - "Wow, and I always thought the Ice Queen was the subservient one!" – "Come on, Malfoy, you should know how to control and satisfy this beauty better!"

"Enough, my friends, enough…" Crossing his fingers and focusing his red pupils on Lucius' face, the Dark Lord hardened his tone and gave Mr. Malfoy and 'advice', which was nothing less than a strict order, of course. "Keep Narcissa on her place, Lucius. Love is an idiotic feeling that can make a man seem pathetic and distance him from his ideals and plans. I hope this weak wife of yours hasn't softened you. You must be loyal to your master and your cause on first place, remember this."

"Y-yes, Milord, of course. I apologize for us both."

After Voldemort's scolding, Lucius couldn't concentrate properly on the meeting, only managing to report his progresses at the Ministry and remaining quiet for the rest of the time, still embarrassed. The Dark Lord seemed to nurture a dislike for Narcissa since Lucius was just dating her. Voldemort even tried to persuade his servant not to marry the youngest Black girl, but, of course, his efforts were in vain as Lucius would never give up on Narcissa; it didn't matter for him that she was a little stubborn and didn't intend to be a well-behaved and silent pureblood wife. Lucius knew too well that his wife had a strong personality and loved it in her. In fact, it was what made his darling so special and different from the others. Hearing those jerks saying all kind of pejorative things about her drove him insane and he couldn't even defend her, because of his Masters' presence. Lucius Malfoy felt like a coward and knew that was almost nothing that he could do to shield his family.

The time went on quickly and before Draco could notice it was September 1st and he was getting everything ready to return to Hogwarts. The boy wasn't too excited that year. Potter managed to stay at school, Pansy would probably be as boring as ever and this was going to be the the OWL's year, which means he would have to study really hard. Father and Mother wouldn't be much pleased if he failed the exams and Draco also wanted to beat Granger, if possible. That mudblood was always top on everything, annoying, really. Finishing packing his books, Draco heard a light knock on his bedroom door.

"Draco, sweetheart, please hurry up or you're going to be late! Your father is already eating his breakfast, and he's the one who will accompany you to the Platform."

"Fine, mother. Just five more minutes and I'll be downstairs." Goodness, she was unbelievable. Draco loved his mother to no limits but he had to admit the woman was a control freak, he was only ten minutes late and she was already knocking on his door and making a fuss about it.

Fifteen minutes later, Draco was in the dinning room. The first thing he spotted was his father's features, not quite delighted. This year, Lucius was the one going with him to the King's Cross Station and he knew his father wasn't very patient when it came to being late. The man appreciated being punctual and had other commitments to attend after seeing his son going to Hogwarts.

"Good morning, Mr. Late. You have ten minutes to eat and say goodbye to your mother while I fetch my suitcase and papers."

"Yes, father." Draco regretted immediately the minutes he overslept. Dealing with his father in a bad humor was never easy. After eating a huge croissant covered with strawberry jam, the boy said his final goodbyes to his mother and saw traces of tears forming in her eyes. He couldn't understand well, but the fact was that his mother was acting differently those times. Narcissa was more emotional and even if she fought to appear strong and unaffected, her son could sense she was getting more worried each day since the return of the Dark Lord. Draco always believed that his parents would be most pleased with the return of their master, but now Narcissa seemed really distressed and Lucius was more easily irritated than ever. "Strange" – he thought.

"Goodbye, my angel. Take care of yourself. And Draco, please, don't go around saying things that can blemish the reputation of our family."

"Fine, mum, I'll try to be neutral. Take care of yourself too, right? I can sense you're a little distressed these days."

"Nonsense, sweetheart, I'm absolutely fine. Now go, your father must be already waiting." When the boy was preparing to leave the room, he heard his mother calling. "Yes?"

"I love you, son. Just remember that." Hugging his mom, he whispered in her ear: "And so do I, mum."

The scenario at the platform was as disgusting as always: mudbloods, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and all kind of eccentric people gathered there. Draco immediately put on his "Malfoy expression", the one he managed to show since his childhood, looking down his nose at everyone, even at some of his Slytherin colleagues. He and Lucius came closer to the train and the boy couldn't avoid watching a pathetic scene: the golden trio coming around with the bunch of Weasleys and other weird figures. And this year, how inappropriate, they even brought a dog with them! A dog, for Merlin's sake, those people had no sense of civility! "Father, are you seeing Potter with his new friend. Bringing a dog, how stupid…"

Draco noticed that Lucius seemed quite intrigued by the presence of the animal and that it wasn't because it was unusual to see a huge black dog flipping his tail on the Platform. "It's not only a pet, Draco. I'm more inclined to say it's an animagus and I can almost guarantee which one." Two pairs of grey eyes were settled on the dog that kept playing around Harry. "It's Sirius. I'll discuss this with your mother later, since the traitor is her cousin and she probably knows more of his animagus form than I, but I'm almost sure of it. "

"Father, the man is a fugitive; he can't be stupid enough to show up, even as an animal, at a public place!" Lucius sneered: "Oh, son, never doubt the capacity of some people to be stupid." Saying that, Lucius gave his son a handshake and rushed him to the train.

"Behave, Draco. And make me and your mother proud of you, son."

"I will, father. Bye!" Nodding to his father with respect, Draco met with Crabbe and Goyle and got on the train, leaving London and the comfort provided by his family to live one more year at Hogwarts.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope you like this new chapter, which focus on the background of OOTP events. I'd like to thak all of you who sent me lovely reviews and keep reading this fic. You really make this worthy! If you have any suggestions, be welcome to share! **

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Narcissa Malfoy née-Black, was sat on a couch at her study reflecting upon her life. Christmas was already coming and the woman tended to get more emotional and introspective during that time in the year. That morning, while decorating the house for the holidays she remembered her childhood and the festivities at the Black Manor. She thought of her parents, always so severe but somehow softened by the Christmas spirit… She remembered her sisters, at a time when the three of them were still bounded and loved to be together… She took a time for memories even from her cousins, the little annoying boys that always messed up the party her mother planned for months to be perfect.

Narcissa realized how she missed that. Not that spending Christmas with Lucius and Draco wasn't something amazing, the two of them were now her only reason for living and all she could, and would, really care about. But it didn't stop Narcissa from missing the old times, when the Blacks were a solid and united family. Of course they all had terrible personalities, which caused huge quarrels and disagreements, but there were still some unforgettable moments when they really enjoyed the company of each other.

Cygnus was dead by a long time now. Narcissa, as a child, always thought that her father was some kind of a hero, a spectacular wizard who could control anyone he wanted and provide his family with only the best. By the end of her adolescence, after meeting Abraxas Malfoy and other equal wizards, she comprehended that what kept her father at a high social status was only his immaculate blood line because, in terms of business and influence, Cygnus Black was nothing but a decadent figure. But discovering that that didn't make her love and admiration for her father decrease; Cygnus was a good man, in fact, the most reasonable person at the family. While Druella and Walburga tended to be intransigent, loud and ill tempered (guess from whom Bellatrix inherited her spirits?), her father tended to stay calm and rational, only losing his mind on extreme situations (like when Andromeda decided to marry that horrendous mudblood and was kicked out of home and desinhirited).

Narcissa would never admit it aloud, but she missed Andromeda, as she was always the one who gave her support and comfort. Bella's love was more possessive, and made her feel a little suffocated. When Andromeda met Ted Tonks and decided to fight against her family for her love, Narcissa suffered and considered it a betrayal. Not a betrayal to the blood status or to the family honor, like her mother and aunt said it was, but a betrayal to their relationship as sisters. Cissy felt forlorn: Andromeda left her and Bellatrix was turning into a hollow and evil person, who put her Death Eater deals over everyone, even her teenager little sister.

Lost in her thoughts, the blonde didn't notice a pair of grey eyes set on her until she heard a familiar voice filling the space of her study:

"A galleon for your thoughts, darling."

She smiled. "You know how nostalgic I get at these times of the year..."

"I know." He sat on the couch and Narcissa placed her head on his lap, and while her husband brushed his fingers on her silky hair, the feeling of comfort replaced the emptiness she was feeling just minutes ago. "I was just thinking about Bellatrix, Andromeda and the way my family used to be before they messed up everything… even mother and father were more affectionate… You probably don't understand what I'm saying, right, love?"

"Well, dearest, I have to be sincere. My family was always easier to deal than yours, but I try to imagine what is growing up with a frantic mother, a sister who becomes a heartless killer and other who becomes a traitor." Lucius laughed a little. The Blacks were truly exotic and he thanked for his wife being the one piece of sanity in the middle of that chaos.

Narcissa sat herself on the couch and glared at her husband, showing annoyance. "Really, Lucius? You don't need to make fun of it, you know? In fact, your family is not as perfect as you're portraying."

"Come on, Narcissa! You can't be comparing the insane Blacks to the Malfoys! My parents were strict, right, but they never acted like your mother and aunt, for example. And I do not have crazy siblings."

"Of course, as you don't have siblings at all. And your mother was a _normal_ person, Lucius? You're trying to make me laugh, aren't you? That woman was awful, honey, I'm sorry but she was. She despised me; she did unbelievable things trying to ruin our engagement and even after our marriage she couldn't look at me without putting on a scolding face. And I swear I did my best to be good to her. I tried to show her that I loved you and that I would make you happy but she kept hating me for the rest of her life for some unknown reason."

"A mother who doesn't like her son's partner…Funny thing, Cissa, because I think I know a woman who is just like that. Of course it's not you, honey, since you love all Draco's affairs, especially Miss Parkinson, don't you?"

Narcissa crossed her arms and sent him a cold glare. "It's totally different, Lucius." She stood up and was leaving the room when she felt Lucius' arms enveloping her from behind, preventing her to move further.

"I was only joking, angel. Please don't take things so seriously. And let's stop this nonsense of pointing failures in each other's families; what really matters is us and the family we've built together. Let our ancestors rest in peace."

She finally laughed a little. "You're right, love. We were both acting like children. Well, I'll just blame the Christmas' spirit and the memories it brings along."

A loud pop startled the couple, and they saw an embarrassed Chilly looking at them embraced. "Chilly is sorry to, umm… disturb you, masters, but there's a house elf in the kitchen insisting on talking to mistress."

Still embraced, the couple exchanged an intrigued look. It was Lucius who spoke first. "What gives the filthy creature the idea that he's allowed to talk to my wife?"

Chilly flinched. "Master, Chilly told the creature that it is not possible for him to talk to mistress. But he won't get out, he's insisting, and Chilly doesn't know what to do anymore and…"

This time, Narcissa's clear and icy voice was heard. "Enough, Chilly! You've already alerted me, now you're dismissed." The elf hesitated a little. "Go!" Another loud pop and Chilly was back to the kitchen.

"I'll go there, Lucius. Maybe he's bringing a message from someone, who knows? You stay here, I'll be right back."

"Fine, Narcissa. If you insist…"

Arriving at the kitchen, Narcissa saw an old and wrinkled house elf, and recognized his ugly features. She had passed the day thinking about her family and their traditions and the elf was certainly present at several of their family gatherings. She remembered his devotion for the Black family, especially for her aunt. But still, what was he doing at Malfoy Manor?

"Kreacher! I thought you weren't even alive anymore! What brings you to my house?"

"Miss Cissy! Forgive Kreacher for his inconvenience, but Kreacher had nowhere to go after the master ordered him to go away! It's his entire fault, Miss Cissy! Kreacher never meant to disturb you."

Narcissa's blue eyes widened in confusion. "What master, Kreacher? My aunt and uncle, _your masters_, died a long time ago and so did Regulus." Suddenly, an idea popped in her mind. "Unless… Is it Sirius? Is he your master?"

Kreacher started pulling at his filthy garments with fierce. "Yes, Miss Cissy. It's Master Sirius, that traitor of blood, the disgrace of your family! He summoned Kreacher, he ordered me to serve him and his friends, his vicious, disgusting friends. All of them are blood traitors and there's even a werewolf! Kreacher doesn't want to serve them, but has to! But today Master Sirius told Kreacher to get out and so here I'm, to serve you if you need me, to do everything sweet Miss Cissy wants me to do."

Narcissa's mouth dropped and she quickly covered it with both hands. The information the crazy elf gave her was probably something valorous for Lucius to use and guarantee a better position in the Dark Lord's ranks. Lately her husband had fallen from his master's grace the worst time being when Voldemort discovered that Lucius disposed of his personal diary giving it to a foolish girl, what caused, after the whole incident of the Chamber of Secrets, the ruination of the object. She shivered only remembering how severely injured her husband came home after the punishment.

Recomposing herself, Narcissa decided it would be better to bring Lucius to the kitchen in order to have a little chat with the creature. Knowing Kreacher, she knew he would be most pleased to talk to someone who had the influence and the blood status of her husband. Trying to treat the old elf in the kindest way possible, she addressed her own servant, Chilly.

"Chilly, please fetch something for Kreacher to eat. He must be hungry. I'll return here in minutes." Faking a smile, she left the room and rushed to her study, where she left Lucius.

"Lucius! The elf is Kreacher!"

"And what in the name of Merlin is 'Kreacher'?"

"It's his name, Lucius! He's the elf that served my aunt Walburga's family and he just told me that now he works for Sirius Black and his disgusting friends. Honey, I'm pretty sure he's serving the Order of the Phoenix's members!"

"My goodness, Narcissa! It's awesome, it's perfect! Guess all the information we'll be able to retrieve from him." Lucius stood up quickly, going towards his wife. "Where is the creature? I need to inquire him!"

"In the kitchen, but Lucius, calm down first and listen to me… You'll have to be _gentle_ with Kreacher. I know he's horrible, annoying and everything else, but he's also very deprived of attention. From what he told me, I could see that Sirius treats him very badly, so if we at least feign to care for him, he'll tell us everything we need to know. Did you understand it?"

"Yes, Narcissa. I'll be a lord to him, now let's go, you can introduce me to the creature, right?"

In seconds the couple was at the kitchen. Kreacher was sat at a bench and apparently had already eaten the soup Chilly served.

"Kreatcher, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Lucius Malfoy." The elf made a reverence and with his head still bowed, he said: "It's an honor to meet you, sir. Miss Cissy couldn't have made a better marriage… Kreacher knows how noble the Malfoys are."

"Thank you, Kreacher. It's also a pleasure to meet the elf who took care of my wife during her childhood and serves her family so loyally. Narcissa was telling me that now you're condemned to serve Sirius… I'm really sorry for you, having to endure that awful man."

Chilly observed her master from the corners of her eyes. She could tell that something was very wrong, since Mr. Malfoy never treated a house elf with that kind of respect before. Mistress used to be gentler, but Master was always impatient and didn't approve of such contact with servants. She got out of the kitchen, not wanting to watch the awkward scene any further.

Kreacher's eyes glimmered; he knew he would find some comfort in Miss Cissy's home. "If it was only that traitor, Kreacher would be less damned. But they are a group, Master Lucius, which includes a family of traitors of the blood – the Weasleys – a young woman who is daughter of the traitor Andromeda, a werewolf, a mudblood, the Potter boy… it's outrageous, Sir."

"I can understand… But tell me, Kreacher, where do this filthy people get together?" Narcissa put a hand on her husband's shoulder. She could sense his muscles tensing with the perspective of getting more information.

"Kreacher is sorry, Sir, but he's not allowed to see. It's a secret kept by a charm. No one can say where this group get reunited."

"I see…" _A fidelius charm, most probably_ – he thought. "And the Potter boy goes there very often?"

"He spent the vacation with Master Sirius, his godfather. The little prat, as disgusting as the other ones… But Master has adoration for him, oh he has…And the boy values him a lot too… Master got depressed when the boy went to Hogwarts but I don't even remember Master being sad when his mother passed away, that traitor…"

Lucius looked at his wife in a way that said it was the best information he could get. "Kreacher, if I need your help to ensure Sirius does not bother you and the Black's memories anymore, would you help me? Would you do exactly what Narcissa and I tell you to do?"

"Of course, Master Lucius. You and Miss Cissy are good to Kreacher and Master Sirius is nothing but cruel, I will do whatever you wish, as long as I do not have to stop serving him, it's the natural duty of a house elf, Kreacher can't dismiss it."

"Of course... But I'm glad to count with your help. I'll ask Chilly to call you back when the time comes, this way I can give you instructions; do you think you can come?"

"Kreacher will come, Sir. I'll find a way to do it, even if I have to punish later."

The Dark Lord got amazed by the information Kreacher provided as it turned to be the chance they needed to get the prophecy: it would be easy to fake some danger situation for Potter involving Sirius and he was certain that the boy wouldn't hesitate to go straight to the Department of Misteries and collect the prophecy. Lucius, for his collaboration in the whole scheme, was designed to be the head of the operation, what made his prestige increase among the other Death Eaters. The man was relieved that his Master wasn't torturing him anymore and was giving Narcissa more respect, since she was the reason for Kreacher to show up out of nowhere at Malfoy Manor.

But not everything was perfect, as it was nearly impossible in the service of the Dark Lord. Voldemort decided that the plan of the prophecy would be postponed and the first course of action had to be the rescue of some loyal servants whom were locked in Azkaban. The dementors were already on his allegiance and it would only be necessary to defeat the human guards to guarantee the escape of Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange alongside Rockwood and Dolohov.

And at five o'clock a team of Death Eaters was reunited enchanting two boats that would carry them to Azkaban's island. There weren't many men on the task: it was just Lucius, Nott, Yaxley, Avery and Amicus Carrow. Lucius tried everything on his power to avoid this mission; the last thing he wanted was to get Bellatrix out of prison. He never liked his sister-in-law, always thinking of her like a crazy and obsessed person who loved no one, neither her husband nor her sister. And of course that after an Azkaban experience, she had probably lost the little sanity she once held.

"Everything settled, Nott?" Yaxley and Nott were the ones responsible for the transfiguration of rocks into boats and for casting the needed spells for them to move without needing oars. Lucius, Amicus and Avery were studying once more the map with the entrances and the paths in the prison, assuring nothing would go out of the plan.

"Yes,Lucius."

"So, it's better going. It's important for us to get there in time; the Dark Lord said it has to start exactly at six this night. It's the time the officials are changing shifts."

The men entered the boats and started moving in a slow rhythm. Arriving at the island, they used the back entrance of the building, wands in hand. Lucius was already feeling sad and hopeless because of the dementors' presence but he knew he would have to concentrate on the mission and avoid to be overly affected by the creatures.

A group of dementors was instructed to allow the Death Eaters to enter the prison, and so they did. It didn't take too long for the group to see many guards coming through the corridor and before the officials could even knowledge the men in dark cloaks, the Death Eaters started shooting curse after curse until they got all the guards down, unconscious.

"_Stupefy!_" With the force of Lucius' spell three men got to the floor and Yaxley, who was just behind Malfoy, managed to gather the corpses together with a flick of his wand, producing a string to keep the officials strongly tied. Lucius and his fellow Death Eater managed to go on further into the prison, arriving at a dark corridor that led to a room where all the wands and other belongings of the prisoners were kept.

Opening the door, the Death Eaters saw an employee who immediately held his wand in hand, but had no courage to cast any spell. "Please, sirs, do nothing to me. I have a family to take care of…"

Lucius raised a gloved hand to interrupt the man; with disdain, he retorted: "Do what we please and we you won't get harmed… We'll give you a hand on that." Raising his wand in the direction of the man's head, Lucius murmured his favorite unforgivable: "_Imperius"_.

With the poor officer on their command, it wasn't difficult for the Death Eaters to collect all the wands of the prisoners they were ordered to break free. The next part of the plan consisted on making the Azkaban guard open the cells that Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Dolohov and Rockwood were in. For what they had seen on the map of the prison, his peers would probably be up on the highest floor, where they kept the most dangerous ones. And, for the way the guard was going, while vanishing all kind of protective spells, Lucius and Yaxley nodded in agreement that they were going to the right place.

When arriving at this isolated part of the prison, they saw two dementors standing in front of the gates. The creatures flew away at the sight of the Death Eaters, obviously instructed previously by the Dark Lord himself. Lucius shivered. He wasn't heartless to the point of feeling nothing in the presence of the horrid and decrepit figures, he could sense his happiness going away and scenes of the most difficult times in his life came to the newly opened space in his mind alongside with an inexplicable fear of loosing Narcissa and Draco.

"Come on, we have a task to complete here." An annoyed Yaxley startled Lucius from his alienate state of mind, reminding him of what they were supposed to quickly finish that night. Murmuring insincere apologizes, Lucius walked with Yaxley and the imperiused guard to the first cell. The image he saw made Mr. Malfoy put on a disgusted face. What had happened to Bellatrix? She used to be an attractive woman, not like his wife, with delicate and angelic features; it was more like a wild beauty, but still, very recognizable. Now, the woman who stood in that cell looked absolute awful: hollow cheeks, numb eyes that appeared to be enormous due to the thinness of her face, her hair tangled and messy, and her robes absolutely dirt and ripped in many places. She just stared at the cloaked figures, a mad gleam in her eyes.

"Bellatrix? It's Lucius, can you hear me?"

Her expression turned to pure fury and, in seconds, she snapped: "TRAITOR! What are you doing here? Finally decided to leave your luxurious life to join our misery?"

Damn it. This woman is freakier than ever – he thought. "Stop yelling! We're here to take you all out. So please, behave yourself, Bellatrix". He took her wand out of his robes and extended it – "here, take your wand, but don't go out there destroying everything with it. We need to leave soon and without too much warning."

"Fine, just take me out of this hell".

After gathering the other prisoners, Lucius and Yaxley, with the help of the officer they were controlling, made their way to the ground floor of Azkaban where the other Death Eaters had already defeated everyone who tried to banish them from the prison. The group evaded the island on the same two boats they used to get there earlier that night. Lucius, Bellatrix and Rodolphus were in the same boat, what gave Bella more time to pester her brother-in-law.

"I wanna see Cissy, Lucius. So, after we get out this damned boats, we'll apparate with you to your house."

"No, you won't, Bellatrix. I'm sorry. But I'm not willing to put my wife in danger by letting a fugitive enter our house."

"Listen, Lucius, your precious wife is _my little sister_, the only family I still have. So, I'm going to see her, weather you like it or not. Besides, I need to get myself clean, eat properly, and I know you're cozy manor we'll be perfect for that. Right, Rodolphus?"

"I don't mind, Bella. Do as you please." Rodolphus Lestrange, who was quiet until that moment, didn't have the courage to contradict his wife, even knowing that it wasn't right to force themselves in Lucius' house if he wasn't fond of their presence there.

"Can the happy family have this argument at home, please? We need to finish this mission, Lucius, focus!" Yaxley rolled his eyes. Lucius, tired of receiving orders from that moron, decided it was best to settle the last details of the plan. In fact, the Dark Lord had told them to conduct the prisoners to a safe place until he decided where they would live without a constant threat to be captured again by the Ministry forces. He would take charge of Bellatrix and Rodolphus for that night and the others could decide which one of the former prisoners they would take care of. When they finally set foot on the ground, Bellatrix, Lucius and Rodolphus apparated in front of the Manor's gate.

Narcissa was trying to read a novel, but she couldn't properly focus on the words in front of her, knowing in which task her beloved was involved that night. It was almost seven o'clock when she finally heard the sound of the front doors being opened. "Lucius?" – she called her husband, her voice high and clear.

Lucius glared at Bellatrix, his look indicating that she was supposed to stay quiet and let him deal with Narcissa first."Yes, love, it's me. Where are you?"

"In the living room. Can you please come here?"

"Sure, Cissa, in a minute." He turned to face his sister-in-law, his expression thwarted. "I'm going there to see her first; you and Rodolphus can take a bath and make yourself presentable. Chilly will accompany you both and fetch you something clean to wear". The little elf, who stood beside Lucius, quivered. "I'll tell my wife you're here and then let she decides if she wants to see you or not."

In a whispered sing-song tone, Bella teased Lucius: "Oh, Lucy, of course my sister will want to see me, and you know that."

He didn't even give a response, getting on his way to the room Narcissa said she was in.

"Hello, love."

Narcissa jumped to her feet and walked big steps towards him; she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and, cupping his cheek, she kissed his lips briefly.

"Lucius, I was so worried… Are you alright? Hesitating a little, she continued: "Did you see Bella, she's fine?" Lucius put one hand on her lower back, pushing his wife closer. "Cissa, I'm fine. Everything went as planned. And about your sister… she's here, in our house. I've already asked Chilly to assist her and Rodolphus. "

Her blue eyes widened in shock. Narcissa didn't imagine that Bella would be in her house so soon, at least not before seeing the Dark Lord or taking other precautions. She was really willing to see her elder sister, but at the same time she feared it a little. She didn't know how Bellatrix would react and also didn't want to confront the new figure of her sister after years of mistreatment in Azkaban. Narcissa took some moments to measure her feelings, but came to the conclusion that was only one reasonable thing to do. "I want to see her, Lucius."

"That's what I thought you would say, Narcissa. But if that is your decision I must warn you that Azkaban did no good to your sister, as you can imagine. Her appearance is dreadful and she turned even more aggressive… So, please, love, be prepared. I don't want you to get hurt by something she might do or say, right?"

"Of course, Lucius." He could sense bitterness in her tone. "But what did you expect? Azkaban is not a resort; I don't even want to imagine what she and Roddy had to endure."

He restrained an unpleasant response. Goodness, Bellatrix was in his home for less than an hour and had already ignited tension between him and his wife. And speaking of whom, Bella had just entered the living room, ignoring his prior advices. Chilly picked an old grey dress of Narcissa for her to wear, and apparently, the elder Black sister tried to brush her wild hair, not that the effect was too good.

"CISSY!" The brunette embraced the blond strongly. "Here you are, still in this house of luxury, married to your wealthy husband and living your boring life. It seems like you didn't change a thing while your dear sibling was locked up in Azkaban." Letting go of Narcissa, her brown eyes met the blue ones in front of her and she used a bony finger to lift Cissy's chin. "Are you happy to see me, little sister?"

Narcissa felt disturbed by Bella's behavior. She knew her sister was accusing her of doing nothing to help her all those years, and she actually felt a pang of guilty. But what could she have done? She had Draco to raise and a reputation to maintain, it was already a miracle that her husband managed to clear himself after the Dark Lord's downfall… "Oh, Bella, don't be so harsh with me. Of course I'm happy to see you and I'm truly sorry for not visiting you all those years and for my lack of assistance to you, but it was really hard for my family too, as you can imagine."

"I actually can't imagine, Cissy… I think you and Lucius are two cowards, to be true. But never mind, dearest. Let the past rest in peace." Lucius glared intensely at Bellatrix. The man's patience was almost gone. Why on Earth did that woman think she was allowed to call him a coward in his own house?

Bella went straight to a table in a corner of the room and poured herself a shot of brandy. He sat on a couch and observed his wife and Bella sitting opposite to him; it was clear by Narcissa's expression that she wasn't feeling comfortable too, and also that she was probably feeling guilty due to Bellatrix's emotional games. "Now, tell me the news! How is my nephew? Or should I say nephews by now?"

"Nephew. It's only Draco. We… we've tried, but we never succeeded to conceive another child." Avoiding that topic, Narcissa went on. "Draco is now in his 5th year at Hogwarts, he's a Slytherin, of course, and an amazing boy. Not because he's my son, but he grew up to be an intelligent and talented young man, not to say how handsome and loving he is. He's my angel, Bella, the son I always dreamed of."

"And you seem to be so devoted to him, Cissy. Well, at least someone in the family had to have the mother instinct. Pity that you and your husband didn't have more children."

Lucius kept his silence until that moment, when he noticed his wife's mouth forming a sad smile. The man said through gritted teeth: "Don't push this matter further, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, she hated Lucius and his annoying overprotective mannerisms around her sister, he acted as if Cissa was a doll, really. Rodolphus entered the room on that exact moment, wearing some of Lucius' old clothes. Narcissa noticed he too looked ill and too thin, but he hadn't developed the maniac gleam that was settled in Bella's eyes. Apparently, her brother-in-law lived through his incarceration better than his wife.

"Oh, here you are, Bellatrix." - he said. Narcissa raised and gave him a brief hug.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Narcissa. I'm truly grateful for your hospitality. I really didn't know where we would be able to live these next months."

Lucius almost jumped of the couch. "I'm sorry. What?"

Bellatrix raised her hand, silencing Rodolphus. "I was the one who told Rodolphus that we would live here for some months, Lucius. It's not safe for us to go to our house and I presumed you would gladly host us here for some time."

"You presumed it wrong, Bellatrix. I said you could sleep here _this night_, not that you were welcomed to _live_ here. Sorry, Rodolphus, but your wife misinterpreted me."

"Lucius!" Narcissa hissed.

"Don't start, Narcissa. No way!"

Taking hold of Lucius' hand, Narcissa excused them and led him to his study. Closing the door and casting the Muffiato spell, she started to discuss the matter with her husband. "We can't deny them shelter, Lucius."

He rubbed his temple. "We can't give shelter to fugitives, Narcissa. Of course the Minister will suspect of us, she's your sister. What do you suggest we do when the officers find them here, eh? It's almost like assuming our involvement with the Dark Lord."

"We can hide them in the secret chambers, Lucius. No one but us both will know they're here. We can lie to the Ministry officials and they won't doubt you, I'm pretty sure."

"Narcissa, you listen to me, this woman doesn't even really like you and I am NOT going to let your maniac sister live in MY house. She's here for just an hour and look what she already did to our marriage! Let the Dark Lord decides where he'll put them, it's none of our business!" He could see the hurt in his wife's eyes, but he couldn't give up and do what she wished. Living with his sister-in-law would be hell, and he knew it.

"Now it's YOUR house, Lucius? Funny how I almost convinced myself that you considered it as OUR home…"

"Oh, please, don't manipulate my words, Narcissa! It's not the point, ok? Of course it is your house as well as it's mine. But as the head of this family, I'm saying I won't have this heartless criminal living under our roof."

Narcissa gave an acid laugh. "Why are you judging her as a criminal? As far as I know, she committed almost the same crimes as you did." She regretted this line immediately, it wasn't her intention to hurt her husband, but things had already gone to a point where there was no turning back. "Look, Lucius, I didn't want a fight, but it pains me to abandon my sister again, to just throw her in your Lord's hands… She's obviously ill, she needs help, and she has no one but me. Let them stay, it's only for a while, until everything gets more settled!"

Lucius punched the desk in front of him, an attempt to control his fury that hardly helped anything, only giving him an excruciating pain. "Fine, Narcissa, but now listen to your _criminal_ husband that only wanted to protect you and our son: Bellatrix is insane, I saw her doing things in missions that you can't even imagine. I know, she's your sister, and that you love her, but the woman is only frantic and vicious. I tried to warn and protect you, she's going to be trouble, I'm sure of it. But if you want her to stay, then let it be as you wish. I'll go inform the Dark Lord she's here. Don't expect me for dinner."

"Lucius, wait!" She urged, trying to take hold of his hands, but he dodged.

"Please, don't. I need some time, Narcissa." Saying that, Lucius grabbed some floo powder from a nearby pot and disappeared in his fireplace. The tears came instantly to Narcissa's eyes, trailing dawn her beautiful face.

"Damn it, damn it! What did we do?" He was right, she knew how much Bellatrix and Lucius despised each other since their youth and that their acquaintanceship would be no good. But, on the other hand, she couldn't leave her sister, it was her duty to provide Bella some rest and peace after Azkaban.

Deciding it was best to give Bellatrix the news, Narcissa flicked her wand, ending the muffiato charm and unlocking the door. Opening it, she found Bellatrix and Rodolphus eating some sandwiches on the living room. Roddy seemed to the upmost embarrassed with the whole situation.

"Narcissa, I'm sorry if we caused problems between you and Lucius. We don't need to stay, really." Bellatrix glared furiously at him.

"It's okay, Rodolphus. In fact, Lucius and I decided that it will be better if you stay. We have underground secret chambers and you'll live there, to avoid being seen by our visitors. The rooms aren't overly luxurious but are well equipped; there you'll find a fine bed chamber, a bathroom, and also a small living room and a kitchen. So, please, feel welcomed at our house and don't hesitate to call me if you need something."

Bella grinned and gave Cissa a peck on the cheek. "That's my little sister! I knew you wouldn't let that poor excuse of a husband leave us homeless. Sit with us, we have so much to talk about. I want to know about the Dark Lord's plans, Cissy! I always knew he would come back to us!"

Narcissa sighed and absently replied: "Not now, Bella. Please, excuse me. Chilly will serve you dinner and show you your rooms. Good night for you both, and enjoy your freedom." She weakly winked for them before turning and climbing the stairs, going directly to the master suite.

It was almost 1 o'clock in the morning when Lucius got home. He needed only half an hour to report to the Dark Lord that the plan went on successfully and that he would hide Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange in his Manor (for what his Master was really glad - at least a good consequence of the whole situation). The rest of the time he spent in a pub on Diagon Alley, drinking some fine firewhisky and thinking about his prior argument with Narcissa. He was aware that he had hurt her deeply, but she was pretty rude to him as well. It pained him to be called a criminal by his wife, not that it wasn't true, but he always tried to be the best man he could for Narcissa, and still, his choices in life would always make her think of him as a monster.

About the "Bellatrix matter", he concluded that he could do anything more. Most probably the Dark Lord would order him to shelter her and her husband. And it was better to take that decision due to a wish of his wife than have to obey it as a command of his Master. He would have to learn to live with her disturbing presence around for his own sake and for the sake of his marriage.

Upon entering the master bedroom, he saw that his wife was still awake, sat on an armchair in front of their fireplace, her arms firmly embracing her legs and her blond hair up on a messy bun.

"Lucius?"

He didn't answer. Instead, Lucius came closer and placed his hands on her shoulders, which caused Narcissa to turn her head and look up at him. "I am sorry." He saw the tears insisting on forming in her eyes even if she was trying to restrain them by biting her lower lip. His silence made her wish to cry increase in seconds and she raised herself, moving in the toilet's direction. It was when she felt his big hand grasping her thin one, his thumb gently caressing her palm. "Come here, there's no need to hide yourself from me." Lucius sat on the armchair and guided her to sit on his lap, which she gladly did, burring her face on his chest, her sobs mixing with random apologies that he could merely distinguish. He just held her close and whispered his own apologies on her ear, until the both of them got more serene. She inclined her head to look him in the eyes.

"Narcissa, when you returned to this house after our prior crisis you made me promised you something, remember?" She nodded in agreement. "And that day I promised that I would never let my stubbornness make our problems increase to a point that would break us. And I won't. That's why I need to be sincere with you… The harsh words you said this night got me extremely upset. I know that my actions are the only cause for this word to be said, but I do also know that, concerning you, I always try my best to be the most gentle I can, because I feel that you deserve to be treated only with love and respect. It killed me to know that, despite my efforts, you still see me as a monster, as a heartless criminal, just like your sister is, Cissa."

She bent her head down and he could say she started crying again. The return of the Dark Lord and the dangers that were recently upon their family made this overly sensitive side of Narcissa show up more frequently. When times were easier for them she was not one for crying and loosing control, always keeping her emotions well hidden. "Dearest, breath, please, stay calm… We're just talking, I am not mad at you, I'm just upset, but it will subside soon."

Narcissa needed some minutes to take full control of her emotions and expose to her husband what she was feeling. "I never meant to hurt you, Lucius. Sometimes I almost forget that your duties as a Death Eater include violence and cruelty, because here in this house you're nothing but a devoted father and a loving husband. I always disapproved your choice of becoming one of _them_, because from an early age I could already see what that man did to my sister. But it's a way without return, and we know that, so there's nothing I can do. And despite all that, you're the man I happily chose to spend my life with, Lucius… please, forgive me if I made you think that I don't recognize how good you are to our family."

"You're already forgiven, Cissa. And I want to apologize too. I became aggressive tonight and let my disgust for Bellatrix reflect upon you."

"Lucius, about her…"

"She's staying and I'm already digesting the idea. I recognize that they have nowhere to go and I also understand that she's your sister and you fell obliged to protect her. I promise, Mrs. Malfoy, I'll be in my best behavior… as long as she doesn't bring the house down." He smiled and winked.

Narcissa chuckled. "I warned them that they must stay at the underground chambers and are not to be seen by anybody. So let us hope that my rebel older sister adopt her best behavior too." She got up from his lap and took of the pin that held her hair up, letting the golden locks cascade down her back. When Lucius was halfway to their closet, she called him.

"Lucius?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"And I love you too, dearest."

That night they both slept peaceful. Narcissa and Lucius knew that as long as their love for each other kept unharmed, there was no breaking point to their family.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? I'm not a huge fan of Bellatrix, so that's how I portrait her. Also, I pretend to compensate the "lackness of Draco" in the next chapter. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm really sorry that I took sooooo long to post it. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The preparation for Lucius' birthday was hectic on Malfoy Manor. Narcissa had planned a huge ball before the Lestranges' arrival and it was nearly impossible to cancel the party without causing suspicions. The best course of action was to keep with the original plans and make sure that Bellatrix and Rodolphus were going stay out of sight on the day of the event.

"Lucius, dearest, did you get the robes I ordered for you on Twilift & Tattings?" A troubled Narcissa, surrounded by piles of parchments and samples of fabric and flowers, called from their bed.

From the closet, Lucius shivered. "Damn it! How did I forget about the clothes?" Not wanting to infuriate his wife, he tried to make his omission less reprehensible: "I'm going there this morning, dearest, because yesterday I had too much work and couldn't get to the store before it was closed."

"I won't even feign that I believed this nonsense. You forgot, Lucius, and I know this pretty well, don't try to make it sound better." She made a stern face that only lasted for a few seconds. because Narcissa collapsed into a loud laugh when Lucius came out of the closet, his grey eyes narrowed and full of sorrow. "Oh, honey, you're so cute! You should see your desperate face, expecting me to throw a tantrum… So adorable" – she managed to say between giggles.

"That's not funny, Cissa. You always give me a lecture about how I'm a nothing in this whole scheme of planning parties and helping with the house duties. I just thought that this time it would be the same."

"Yeah, I admit I'm awfully boring sometimes... But don't worry, Mr. Malfoy, I'll compensate you from this little bully." She took hold of his tie and pushed him towards her, their lips meeting with passion. The couple didn't break the kiss when the back of Narcissa's legs touched the bed and both of them fell on the mattress, making a mess of the parchments.

"Oops, Cissa, I think we may have ripped some of these documents."

"And who cares, love?" She winked and enlaced her arms around his torso. Lucius lips were working on Narcissa's neck and, distracted, they didn't notice the click of the bedroom doors.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELVES; IT'S EIGHT IN THE MORNING!" Bellatrix shouted, causing Lucius to jump and Narcissa to blush to a deep shade of red.

"Get a hold of _yourself_, Bellatrix! What are _you _doing in our bedroom at this time in the morning? Alas, what are you doing _out of the secret chambers_ to start with?" Lucius growled.

"I just came here to ask Cissy a favor; I didn't imagine that you two were having a snogging session at eight o'clock in the morning!"

"It's none of your business _what_ we do and _when _we do it! But you clearly have no respect for other's intimacy, Bellatrix, so, please, get out of my bedroom!"

"CAN'T YOU TWO JUST BE QUIET? My goodness, Lucius, you're being so vulgar! And you, Bella, is indiscreet beyond measurement! Why didn't you wait for me to come downstairs?"

"I… I, come on, Cissy! It's not my fault!" Bella impatiently retorted, refusing to leave the room.

"Narcissa, just ask her to leave…"

Narcissa rose from the bed, adjusting the knot on her night cloth. "Lucius and Bellatrix, I want you both out of here. I'm tired of your childish behavior, plus, I still need to dress up for the day, so if you excuse me…"

Lucius approached her, a hurt look on his eyes. "Love, don't do this, it was all too well before the lunatic came in…"

"Lucius, just leave, okay?" He left the room with Bellatrix just behind him, the argument between them echoing through the corridors of the manor. In her room, Narcissa sat in front of her vanity and sighed. It was really hard to do the liaison between her husband and her sister; and for the first time, she felt a pang of regret about letting Bella stay at her house.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin common room, Lucius' birthday party was also a major topic of conversation. Since Mr. Malfoy had good relations with Dolores Umbridge, who was now who really commanded Hogwarts, he managed to get the permission to leave the castle (in order to attend the party) not only for Draco, but also for his friends whose families were invited.

"Hey, Malf! My mother just sent me a letter… I'm going to your father's birthday too. It will be the event of the year, everyone is attending!" Blaise said while taking a seat on an armchair in front of the one Draco was sat.

Draco smirked, his Malfoy pride on its highest levels, since he knew the ball would be a success, like the others his mother had already planned. Besides, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, Millcent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott were all going to be present, so he would have lots of fun, for sure. Just one thing was tormenting the boy… Pansy's parents weren't invited, since Narcissa despised Mrs. Parkinson with all her forces and Lucius didn't give a damn about them and would never interfere in his wife's decision of a guest list just to suggest an invitation to the Parkinson family.

Fact was that Pansy was very aware of the whole situation and, for her look since Blaise announced his presence at the ball, she was going to bother her "boyfriend" about the matter sooner or later. The girl didn't even give time for Draco to digest the idea, because five minutes after Zabini's entrance, she came to where Draco was and held his hand. "Draco, dear, can we speak for a minute?"

"Ooooh, couple bonding, so sweet, Malf!" – joked Crabbe.

"Shut up, idiot." Draco growled to Vincent before giving Pansy a despondent look and exiting the Common room with her.

"So, Pansy, what is so urgent?"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh, Draco, I'm really upset with you and you know why!"

"Because of my father's party…" He said in a bored tone.

"Of course it is the party! I am your _girlfriend_, how come I'm not attending my _father-in-law_ birthday party?"

Draco rubbed his temple. "Look, I didn't invite any of our friends, Pansy… My parents invited their parents, and that's why they are going to the ball. It's my mother who does the guest list and deals with all the invitations and I have nothing to do with it."

"I knew it! I don't know what I did to your mother, but this woman clearly hates me, Draco! Actually, my mom told me she has always been like that; she said your mum has the awful habit of thinking she's above everyone else." His face turned cold instantly.

"You watch how you speak of my mother, Pansy, unless you want me to break up our relationship right here, right now."

"I'm sorry, dear, I am really sorry, I never meant to offend your mother." She encircled her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the lips. "I think I'm just too upset, I want to be there, I need a chance to prove to your parents that I'm a good girl and that I really love you, Draco. Please, let me go with you?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, you won. I'll talk to my father and see what he can do, but don't expect him to force my mother to invite your parents if she doesn't want to, because he will never do it. I think that the invitation will be only for you... Is that a problem?"

"Not problem at all, dear!" She kissed him once more. "You're the best boyfriend I could ever wish, Draco Malfoy!"

He smiled at her. Pansy thought it was a loving smile but, truly, it had nothing to do with affection, since her boyfriend was only thinking that the poor girl would never convince his mother of anything… Narcissa didn't like Pansy, and no matter what the girl did, that wouldn't change.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Bella, I hope you did understand that it's extremely important that you and Rod stay at the secret chambers in the utmost silence during the party."

"I'm not deaf, Cissy! We'll stay there as you coldheartedly demanded."

"Don't be so dramatic! You couldn't really expect me to let two Azkaban fugitives waltz around my ballroom while Cornelius Fudge is right there enjoying a drink!"

"And what about my nephew? I know he came home for the party, why can't I meet him?"

"You'll meet him, Bella, but tomorrow! Today you're going to stay here in the chambers and that's my final word". Rolling her eyes, Narcissa exited the secret chambers to check once more the party organization before allowing herself to get a bath and start to put on her make-up and clothes. She had opted for a black strapless dress which fitted her upper body perfectly and had a voluminous skirt, made of tulle. Narcissa had it tailored by a French witch designer, one of the best known. She would never allow herself to be less than perfect for her husband's birthday ball.

A beautiful – and rather expensive – emerald necklace, matching more discreet earrings of the same gem, completed the look and her blond hair was pulled up on a meticulously disheveled bun. She was so absorbed with the last details of her make-up that she didn't noticed Lucius entering their bedroom, already dressed in his black and green robes (which made them quite the pair), his hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"Why always so stunning, dearest? You don't give the other women a chance."

She smiled tenderly. "Always the charmer… But you don't have to pretend, I'm not quite this beauty anymore, Lucius." He embraced her from behind, while she was still sat on the bench of her vanity.

"And who told you this nonsense, Cissa? You're still the most dazzling woman I ever saw." After kissing the top of her head, he left their bedroom to check if Draco was already dressed for the party. Knocking slightly on the door, he called:

"May I come in?"

"Yes, father."

"This robes really suited you, son. I must say your mother has a wonderful taste on clothes…"

"Is she ready?" The boy inquired.

"Almost…Just finishing the last details to assure she gets even more perfect than she already is".

"Come on, father! I don't need to hear you say these things about my own mother! You two are so mellow." Draco made a disgusted face but, for true, he was a little envy of his parents' love. He didn't have for Pansy the last bit of devotion that his father had for his mother. Lucius clearly adored his wife and Draco feared that he would never find a real love of his own, and that he would end on a pureblood loveless marriage.

"What is wrong, Draco?" Lucius inquired after seeing the frown on his son's face. "Is there something disturbing you?"

"Nothing, father, never mind!" He said it halfheartedly, wishing to have courage to discuss such matters with his old dad. Startling, he heard the voice of his mother magnified, echoing through the house. "Lucius, Draco, let's go downstairs… There are guests arriving."

The family got together before descending the stairs. Lucius offered his right arm to Narcissa and Draco followed his parents. When a house elf opened the door, they got sight of a brunet short haired girl with a pink dress (a little too garish, and tacky, on Narcissa's opinion).

"Oh, hello, Pansy!" said Draco Malfoy.

"Hello, sweetie." The girl placed a butterfly kiss on Draco's cheek before directing herself to his parents. "It's a pleasure to be at your house, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy".

"The pleasure is all ours, Miss Parkinson." Lucius answered before Narcissa could say something unpleasant to the girl. He remembered how frantic she got when he said that Draco asked permission to bring his "girlfriend" to the party; his wife mumbled comments the whole day about how the little social climber was trying to dig her claws on her son.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Malfoy! Before I forget to say it, my mother asked me to send you her best wishes!"

"Did she, dear?" Narcissa retorted coldly. "Violet is always so polite, please send her all _my_ best wishes too." She linked her hand with her husband's. "Lucius, let's go get a drink."

"Of course, Narcissa…Draco, why don't you show Pansy the ice sculptures? I am sure she will be thrilled." Gladly for his mother, Draco escorted the girl away and Narcissa didn't even have time to complain because their "real" guests were starting to arrive. In half an hour the Greengrasses, the Goyles, the Crabbes and the Carrows were already there. Soon other pureblood families were also at the Manor, including the Minister of Magic and his wife. Lucius and Narcissa were the perfect hosts, always keeping little conversations here and there to entertain the guests and offering the best food and drinks that money could buy.

The party was a total success and they managed to gather together almost all of their friends, including Severus, who did went out of his enclosure in Hogwarts to greet Lucius on his birthday. When the band started playing, Lucius guided his wife and with his hand firm on her waist, they beautifully waltzed, swirling around the ball room.

After the first song, other couples joined the dance and Pansy got really mad at Draco who, with a poor excuse of a sore foot, refused to dance, leaving her alone with Astoria, Daphne and Millcent while he showed the boys his collection of brooms.

"Oh, look at Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, they are so sweet!" Astoria Greengrass, a 3rd year in Slytherin, daughter of Narcissas's best friend, Alicia, was directly fixing the Malfoy couple.

"How did you get that, Tori? They act so formal towards each other!" Pansy rolled her eyes.

"Well, yes, they're formal, but you have to focus on the small actions. I've been watching them this night and every time some man approaches Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy takes a bee line towards them and places his arm around her, so protectively… I just wish I get a husband like him!"

All the other girls laughed and Pansy couldn't avoid spitting some venom: "Uh, looks like little Tori wants to marry Lucius Malfoy! Poor you, dear, his dearly wife will eat you alive!"

"I didn't say that I want to marry Mr. Malfoy, Pansy, don't be mean!" Astoria got so nervous that she almost trapped when running away from the girls. She did not want to marry Lucius Malfoy, but if she stood a chance with his son, she certainly would be more than pleased.

At nine o'clock, dinner was served. Lucius sat at the head of the huge table, Narcissa on his left side and Draco on his right. He lightly tapped his flute to get everybody's attention. "My dear family, friends, I would like to thank your presence here today. It's very rewarding for a man to be surrounded by the people he esteems; also, I'd like to thank my wife, who really endeavored to plan this ball." She smiled discreetly at him and nodded. When Lucius was about to continue his speech, a loud noise echoed from under the floor.

The couple looked at each other with meaningful glances. Lucius felt his mark burning some minutes ago, and knew the source of the noise could only be Bellatrix struggling to get out of the chambers to meet their Lord, even if the burn he felt didn't have the force of a call, meaning only a warning. Noticing the guests were starting to gossip about the noises, Lucius spoke: "There's no need to worry, my friends. It's only the vampire that lives in the manor. We had to remove him from the attic and place him at the basement but the creature is not quite overwhelmed with the new environment."

"I'll deal with it, Lucius. Have dinner with your guests". Severus Snape, who was well aware that the noise didn't come from any vampire, excused himself and, knowing the passage under the kitchen's floor to get to the Malfoy's secret chambers, was on his way to keep Bellatrix' mouth shut. When Lucius announced that his maniac sister-in-law was going to live under his roof, Severus almost felt pity for him. The eldest Black sister was a rebellious woman and he knew it would be really hard for Lucius and Narcissa to keep her under control.

"Now, now, Bellatrix. Why so noisy?"

"What are you doing here, half blood?" Her eyes were flaming and her hair, a mess. There were evidences of walls and furniture hit by missing curses, suggesting that a struggle was taking place between her and Rodolphus.

"I came here to remind you: there's a party going on upstairs and you're supposed to remain quiet so no one will think the owners of the house are hiding something, or _someone_."

"My Lord called me, Snape and I have to get out of here, because this basement is anti-apparition… I don't care if there are guests up there, I have to fulfill my duties!"

"Honey" Rodolphus embraced her from behind, which caused Bellatrix to slap his arms. "We both know that the burn was merely an alert. He's not calling us right now, he just wanted to warn that something is about to come. Please, keep quiet; don't ruin your sister's party! Narcissa and Lucius are being merciful to us and I think we own them that."

"You should listen more to him, Bellatrix." Snape disdainfully commented. "And what burn of the Mark are you talking about? I felt nothing."

"That was a special alert, Snape, for a special mission. Don't blame me if the Dark Lord does not trust you enough to let you be a part of it." She sneered, feeling more proud of herself than ever. She was going to the mission on the Ministry of Magic, Snape was out of it: obviously Lord Voldemort's preferences were becoming clearer each day.

"I think everything is settled down here, right Rodolphus? I'm returning to the party, we don't want to create more suspicions." Roddy nodded and sighed, while watching his fellow Death Eater going away.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When the last guest left the house, Lucius descended the stairs that led to the secret chambers and asked Bellatrix and Rodolphus to join him and Cissa on his study. He was sure that the burn he felt earlier was an alert to finish planning the Department of Mysteries mission as soon as possible. Most probably, he would have to discuss it with his Master the next day.

Arriving on the study, Rodolphus threw himself on a couch and Bellatrix seated far from him, on the other edge; meanwhile, Lucius and Narcissa made their way to a loveseat: she sat first, and he adjusted himself beside her, using a hand to caress her leg. Little details like that one showed the difference between the couples: the affection the Malfoys felt for each other was never a trace of the Lestrange's relationship (at least on Bellatrix' part).

"Now, now, Lucy? How was your party?"

"It could've been better if you didn't try to destroy my chambers. Every guest on this house noticed that something was happening underneath the floor." "I was merely trying to get out and meet my Master."

"It was not a calling, Bella." – Her husband objected.

"Oh, shut up, Rudolphus, I wasn't talking to you." The man's face went red like a tomato. At this point, Narcissa decided it was too much for her. She was tired of the Dark Lord being a constant in her life and in her house, and felt this little gathering at the study would be long, really long. It was when she got up, making Lucius' hand fall limp on the loveseat.

"Darling?"

"If you feel that you _really need_ to discuss this mission tonight, I have nothing left to do, that's why I'm going to sleep. Good night Bella, Rod." Lucius got up in an instant and, excusing himself, went after her.

"Hmmm, seems like the perfect couple is having some trouble" Bella sneered.

"Leave them in peace, Bellatrix."

Lucius grabbed his wife hand only when she was about to ascend the stairs. Turning her to face him, he could see she was crying, the tears running freely down her face and destroying her once impeccable make-up.

"Darling, what happened this time? Why are you crying?"

She wiped some tears before starting to answer his questions."I made plans for us, it was supposed to be a romantic night, but you chose to discuss His orders, His wishes!" Sobbing, she fought to continue: "You _promised_ me that He wouldn't stand between us anymore! I am so tired of this, I am so frustrated with this damned cause, with this damned man, I'm so disappointed with you, Lucius!"

"Cissa, don't be like this! Tomorrow…Tomorrow we can be together; we'll celebrate my birthday after I discuss this plan with Him, after everything is settled."

"I am tired of being no priority in your life, Lucius! I am so tired to act like everything is perfect when it's not! We barely talk anymore, because you're always in a hurry and, and…" She started blushing. "You know, this week, on that day when Bellatrix entered our room in the morning, I thought I would _finally_ get a… a time alone with you! Lucius, didn't you notice there's almost two months that we don't make love?" This time she flushed completely, totally ashamed and surprised by her lack of discretion. "My goodness, I drank too much, why am I talking like this?"

There was pure silence between them for several minutes, until he broke it. "Narcissa, I'm sorry. I love you, and it kills me to know that I'm not being the husband you deserve."

"Look Lucius, I never doubt your love and I know you are sorry, but sometimes being sorry is not enough. I'm tired of hearing empty words, I just wish you could fulfill a half of the promises you've already made."

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**Please let me know what you think of this chapter. After I wrote it I felt that it was -again- a filler, but in some way it was good, since I wrote a lot on Lucius' POV and it will not be a constant in the next chapters (Azkaban is coming soon, xD). **

**Thanks to my lovely reviewers: Clareabell7, NimbusCentuar, XToxicLullabyX, Lilya27, Nadieska, PrincessDaydream77, EleKat, Woemcat ... You always make it worthy!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you like this chapter and, again, I'm really sorry for taking so much time to write and post it! Also, there is something I'd like to add: I study law in College here in Brazil and our criminal procedure is very different from the one used in England and America. So, you might notice some differences in the story about Lucius' incarceration and such! I kind of mixed both systems and, well, let's just pretend that's how wizards do it!**

* * *

Lucius startled with a loud 'pop' echoing in his study. "Useless elf! Why did you take so long to bring Kreacher here?"

"Chilly is sorry, master! That man Sirius was at the kitchen, Chilly had to wait, wait a lot until she could talk to Kreacher, and then…"

"Enough". Lucius raised a hand for the elf. "I don't want to hear your ridiculous excuses anymore! Where is Kreacher?"

"At the living room, he's talking to Mistress."

Removing his reading glasses, Lucius adjusted his robes and left the study, directing himself to the living room. He had to give Kreacher strict orders to make sure the plan would succeed. It was extremely important to keep Sirius Black occupied the whole day in order to guarantee that Potter wouldn't contact him, making the boy believe that his dearly god father was stuck in the Department of Mysteries.

"Hello, Kreacher!"

Hearing Lucius' voice, the old elf made an effusive reverence, causing his wrinkled nose to touch the floor. "Master Lucius, always a pleasure to see you!"

] Narcissa watched the scene and tensed a little. She knew what kind of business Lucius had to treat with Kreacher and that it only could mean one thing: that infamous mission was about to take place. And this was what she feared the most. Sensitive as she was, Cissa never had good feelings about her husband invading the Ministry of Magic with a bunch of Death Eaters, willing to get a prophecy from a well-protected place. Besides, Potter was a major plot of the plan and, miraculously, that boy had never been defeated, not even by Lord Voldemort himself. If it was by pure luck or by some occult protection, she couldn't tell, but the fact was that Harry Potter wasn't an easy target.

"Kreacher, please listen carefully to what Master Lucius has to tell you." Saying that, she stopped by the door and, this time, directed herself for her husband - "If you need something, just call me." He nodded in agreement and she left, the clicking sound of her heels echoing through the Manor.

Lucius took almost an hour to explain everything that Kreacher needed to do, fearing the elf couldn't comprehend exactly the importance and the dimension of his task. It became accorded that Kreacher would break Buckbeaks' wing (for Lucius, after the accident involving the beast and his son, the elf could even kill the hypogriff, if he wished to). This way, they assured that Sirius would be busy the whole day and far away from any communication means that Potter chose to use.

After the elf left the house, Lucius collapsed on the couch, burring his head on his palms and sighing loudly. He was absolutely exhausted, that mission was draining every inch of energy he possessed: he had to be constantly reporting every single course of action to the Dark Lord, and was responsible to instruct and control the Death Eaters that were involved on the plan, what wasn't an easy task, considering that Bellatrix, for example, was on this group (due to Voldemort's orders – and not by Lucius' choice, of course).

Lost in his thoughts, the man felt gentle hands caressing his shoulders. "Is everything fine, Lucius?" He smiled with the feeling of her soft skin on his, the gentle touch of her thin hands being the only happiness that remained with him during those rough times. After all, Narcissa and their son were the only constants in his life, even if he failed giving them the attention and love they needed and deserved. "I'm fine, Narcissa. Come here, dearest, sit with me."

She did as he asked, taking a seat by his side and holding his hand. They just sat there, hands linked and no words spoken, for quite some time. She diverted her eyes from her husband and staring at the opposite wall, finally said what was stuck on her throat: "Lucius, I am so scared."

He smiled weakly and squeezed her hand. "I am scared too." Upon hearing that, Narcissa looked at him, almost in disbelief, because during their marriage, she couldn't remember another time when her husband confessed so openly his own fears… It only intensified the bad omen she felt about that damned mission. Lucius could tell that Narcissa was shocked by his confession. After so many years, he could read it perfectly from her features: the eyebrows contracted just a little bit, the thin mouth slightly opened and pale and the big blue eyes wide and fixed. He turned himself on the couch to look into her eyes, gathering all the sincerity he could, yet trying to be soft and tender.

"Love, I'm not willing to give you more empty promises. I'm planning tomorrow's mission for a long time and, hopefully, everything will be just fine. But I can guarantee nothing… It's really risky and involves so much more than just casting curses and spells, also there's always your sister to disrupt everything." – he chuckled, trying to diminish the tension. With her free hand, Narcissa cupped his cheek and kissed him passionately.

The couple embraced tightly, only breaking the kisses to regain breath and whisper sweet nothings on each other's ears, every single touch expressing more than they could say with words. At some point, Lucius kissed away the tears that were starting to trail down his wife's face and held her chin, the grey eyes meeting the blue ones. "Let's go upstairs, Narcissa. I need you more than ever. I need you to be my strength". She smiled and held her husband's hand, guiding him off the couch. "And so do I, my love."

Later that night, when Lucius managed to sleep, Narcissa rested her head on his naked chest, feeling relieved that they were finally recovering the closeness and intimacy after some troubled months, although something inside kept telling her that wonderful night felt like farewell. Oh, how she wished they could remain just like that forever and that nothing and no one would ever take her from the safety of her husband's arms or deprive her from his love.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was already nine o'clock p.m. and Lucius hadn't returned from the mission. Narcissa was laid on their bed, her nerves pulsing. She could almost feel that something went wrong on the plan, because they wouldn't need that much of time to get the prophecy on normal circumstances. Suddenly, she heard a loud "pop" on the room: Chilly stood there, her eyes were huge.

"Yes?" Narcissa's tone was cold and harsh. Not that the elf had something to do with her worries, but the woman was so easily irritated that night…

"Chilly is sorry to disturb mistress, but there's a man downstairs saying he need to talk to Master Lucius' wife."

"A man is demanding to talk to me? And whose man is this, Chilly? Speak up!" Narcissa jumped off the bed and gathered her thin silk robes before dressing it quickly.

"He says he is from the Ministry, mistress, but Chilly does not know his name."

"It's enough, creature. Tell him I'll be in the living room right away." Narcissa took a few minutes to make herself more presentable. Although she knew that something really bad was taking place, she still didn't want to appear absolutely disheveled in front of strangers. Lucius would never approve such behavior and she was a Malfoy, after all, she had to hold up her pride.

Descending the stairs she noticed the man, he had his back turned to her, but she could see clearly who he was: ginger hair, starting to get bald, it could only be Arthur, that prat! She was absolute certain he pleaded to give the bad news himself (whichever the news were), only to get back on Lucius.

"Weasley. Could I know the reason of your unwelcomed visit to my house? I can assure you that Lucius and I don't possess muggle artifacts, so there is no possible job for your pathetic department in this Manor." Her tone was pure ice and her face showed nothing but disdain.

"Good night, Narcissa." Arthur said formally.

"It is _Mrs. Malfoy, _if you don't mind."

"As you wish, _Mrs. Malfoy_. Fact is that the Minister entrusted me to give you some information about your husband, that's purely why I am here at your house at this late hour."

Narcissa felt her stomach sink. Deep inside she knew this annoying visit could only mean that Lucius was in danger or that he was… She didn't even want to think about it!

"What information about my husband could you possibly have, Weasley?" She felt her voice tremble, but she wouldn't give up in front of that man, she couldn't let her mask go down.

"To begin with the procedure, Mrs. Malfoy, I must ask if you can tell me the whereabouts of your husband this night."

"Lucius was at home until 5 p.m, then, he left. That is all I know and all I will say."

Arthur Weasley put on a smug face, he was convinced that Narcissa knew exactly where Lucius was and what he planned to do. That woman was unbelievable, as stubborn and despicable as her awful husband. "Are you sure this is all you have to say, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"What I am sure, Mr. Weasley, is that I have the right to be silent since you can and _will_ pass on every single word I say, and the court may probably use it against me or against my family. Besides, you have no authority to interrogate me, you are a simple messenger of the Ministry, so don't give yourself more credit than you have. If you could only do your job and provide me with the information you have, I would be really thankful."

His face went red with anger and he decided it was best to give Narcissa the news, anyway. "In this case, if you don't know his whereabouts, I must inform you that your husband was caught tonight in his Death Eater activities. A group of them was in the Department of Mysteries, trying to steal a protected object from the Ministry of Magic. Due to this fact, Lucius Malfoy was arrested in flagrantand, by this time, he is probably arriving in Azkaban." His face was unexpressive, but Narcissa could sense the pleasure he felt in telling her those awful news. She also felt the tears starting to from on her own eyes, the despair and the loneliness hitting her instantly, but she swallowed it all, keeping her emotions well-hidden.

"And when is he going to be released? Will he be allowed the benefit of a plea bargain? I wish to know if he already has a _commitment for trial or if you are just planning to keep him _locked there without any trace of legitimacy."

"It is definitely not that simple, Mrs. Malfoy. Your husband was charged with serious crimes, as you can imagine. His prison is now temporary, since he is a Death Eater and the judge on duty felt it would be risky to let him in freedom while he is being processed. I highly recommend you hire him a lawyer. It's almost a hopeless cause."

"And hiring him one will be my first course of action tomorrow morning. For tonight, I qualify as his lawyer. Would you wait here for a minute until I get my register number and sign the papers? I pretend to interpose a writ of _habeas corpus_ in a few hours, please let the court know it. I don't doubt the lazy officers won't be there when I need them, even if on call."

"There is a judge on duty this night, Mrs. Malfoy, I just told you that."

"Better this way. I'll be right back, if you excuse me." Narcissa's mind was running so fast and incoherent that she couldn't focus on what she was doing. She took the way to Lucius' office before remembering that all her law documents were on her own office, on the other wing of the house. She couldn't believe that her husband was under arrest, how would she live without him? How would she tell Draco that, for Merlin's sake? And she still had to write the _habeas corpus,_ in the middle of the chaos, because it would be quicker than going to find a good lawyer at 10 p.m. It worried her deeply, she had been an excellent student at the Wizard Law College, and kept up to date with all the important court decisions, but still, she had _never_ worked in her life, and she feared she wouldn't be able to put all the theory in practice.

Grabbing everything she needed, Narcissa returned to the living room and signed the documents that qualified her as Lucius' temporary attorney. After she was finished, that horrid Weasley finally got out and she could at least cry without some idiot to mock her in return.

The woman went straight to her room, not bothering that the tears were soaking her face. She had to go to Hogwarts to tell Draco the news before he listened it from someone else; it was even more urgent than interposing the writ (deep inside, she knew Lucius had few chances on that, even if she was planning to write the best piece she could). She decided to dress a black knee-length skirt and a silk white shirt, choosing one of her best black heels to complete the look. Pearls adorned her ears and neck and she pulled her hair up in a structured ponytail. Using her wand, Narcissa disguised her swollen face from crying and applied minimal make up.

Breathing a few times before leaving, she tried to gather all the courage she had inside. Never in her life Narcissa Malfoy had to be so strong, but she was not planning to fail now, not when her family needed her the most.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Narcissa arrived at the school when it was nearly 11:30 p.m. The old Filch was the one who opened the gates for her and informed that the Headmaster was away and that she'd have to look for Professor Minerva McGonagall if she had something urgent to solve. The blond woman politely thanked the information and took the way to the Transfiguration teacher's office; she had been there once, when Draco suffered the attack by the hypogriff. Narcissa knocked on the door, a little more fiercely than needed, and in seconds, McGonagall opened it.

"Mrs. Malfoy? What is the reason of this unexpected visit?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, Professor, but I need to talk to my son right now." Narcissa said it in her usual high class tone: her Malfoy pride and indifference weren't faded, even if deep inside the woman was devastated.

"I dare say that is not the common procedure of this school, Mrs. Malfoy. We instruct the parents to communicate the staff by floo or letters if any urgency occurs at home and a student need to receive a message. It's not recommended for the parents to drop by the school at this time of the night." McGonagall's tone was impatient, she always despised the petulant mannerisms of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, that couple acted like they were above any rule.

"I know it, and I would never come here so late if the matter wasn't urgent." The door of McGonagall's office opened again and the women saw a livid Severus.

"Narcissa, I didn't know you were coming here." After saying that, he saw the reprehension on his colleague glare. "I'm sorry, Minerva, forgive me for the intromission, but I think I can deal with Mrs. Malfoy from now on, after all, her son is a student of my house." Minerva didn't quite like Snape's attitude but nodded in agreement. She wasn't in the mood to deal with that woman, anyway.

"Come with me, Narcissa, please."

Mrs. Malfoy muttered an insincere "thank you" to McGonagall and left the room with Snape. When they were far away from the other professor's office, she finally felt safe to talk to her friend.

"I suppose you already know the reason I am here."

"Yes, Narcissa." Snape felt really pity for his friend, he knew Narcissa too well to know that, despite that cold façade, she was absolutely ruined. "And you're planning to tell Draco personally, right?"

"I don't want my son to know that his father is in jail by the newspaper, or worst, by the jokes of some other student."

"I'll bring him to my office, you will have more privacy there."

"Thank you, Sev." Her voice sounded more like a whisper since she couldn't avoid the tension and the sadness. Noticing the fragility of his old friend, Severus held her shoulders and made her look at him.

"Narcissa, I know it's probably being the hardest thing you had to endure on your life, but remember that you're not alone. I'll be here for you and Draco during Lucius' absence". Trying to cheer her up, even if just a little bit, he said: "Besides, if I did let any harm come to you two, your husband would probably kill me when he gets out of that prison."

She smiled weakly and took a seat on his office. "Severus, what about Bellatrix and Rodolphus? They were on this mission too, but when that awful Weasley told me about Lucius, he made no comments about them."

Severus clasped his hands, on a way Narcissa knew full well that meant discomfort. "Rodolphus is in Azkaban too and I suppose the Ministry reported the fact to his parents. As for Bellatrix, she escaped, Narcissa, unfortunately, if I can give you my sincere opinion."

"Oh, Sev, don't be like this! Bellatrix is a disturbed person, she doesn't know how to control her instincts anymore… you can't get upset by everything she says. But tell me: how did she manage to escape?"

"Apparently the Dark Lord himself went to the Ministry of Magic, due to some complications on the mission. When he escaped, he took only Bellatrix with him. You can imagine how insufferable your sister will get after that…"

"I have an idea." She sighed deeply. "Now, can you please get Draco for me, Sev?"

"Of course, Narcissa. I'll be right back with him."

Meanwhile, lying on his bed, Draco Malfoy couldn't be happier. It had been the last day of O.W.L exams, and the boy thought he did really well, what would certainly make his parents proud. If it wasn't for the incident with Potter and his stupid friends on that night (the group invaded Dolores Umbridge's office - apparently to use the fireplace – and Draco, as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, had to fight the intruders off). But, after all, this was just Potter being Potter, and Draco decided that he wouldn't let the idiot ruin his day. Soon he would be home, enjoying his summer break in total peace, and this was all that mattered.

While Draco was at the dormitory, Blaise Zabini arrived at the Slytherin common room, a big grin spread on his face. "Guys, guess what! Malfoy's hot mother is here! After I finished my detention, when I was getting out of McGonagall's office, she was just arriving there! Apparently, Dumbledore is out of Hogwarts and she had to speak to McGonagall. She looked absolutely fantastic, her amazing legs on display!" Crabbe, Goyle and Nott looked stunned. Mrs. Malfoy was a fantasy of almost all of them and since Draco wasn't at the common room they could talk freely about the attributes of his mother. Zabini continued: "But what hot mother is doing here at this time of the night is still a mystery. If she let me, I could gladly take her to a tour at the castle, if you understand me" They boy winked and all the other guys started to laugh so hard that they didn't noticed the presence of Professor Snape at the room, staring at them with an infuriated expression.

"Stop making these sick comments about Mrs. Malfoy, or I'll be sure to arrange a disgusting detention for each one of you this night. It's utterly disrespectful to talk about a student's mother in such ways, oafs!"

In unison, the boys said: "Sorry, Professor." But Snape was already taking the steps down that led to the 5th year boys' dormitory. He knocked on the door.

"Draco?"

The blond boy opened the door completely intrigued by his strange visitor. "Yes, Professor?"

"Come with me, Draco. Your mother is here, at my office, she needs to talk to you." Draco's grey eyes widened in shock because he knew Narcissa would never come to Hogwarts at this late hour to discuss trivial matters: if his mother took her time to go personally there, the subject must be really awful. Immediately, horrendous thoughts started to run through his mind: his dad injured, his dead killed, his mother with a severe disease, the manor destroyed… He was startled by Professor Snape, who was also his godfather, patting his shoulder and gently saying: "Come, Draco, we don't want to make your mom wait further."

In his silk pajamas, Draco went with Snape, every pair of eyes staring at the pair when they walked pass the Common Room, what made the boy's tension increase a lot. Snape's office was also in the dungeons and, in a few minutes, the pair got there. The professor opened the door but stood outside while Draco entered the room. He found his mother sitting on a chair, her thin hands folded over her lap. By seeing her son, Narcissa got up in one motion and hurried towards him, giving the boy a strong hug, while running her long fingers through his silk white-blond hair.

"What is it, mum? What happened? Is it dad? Is it you?" The boy's tone was apprehensive and Narcissa felt he was about to cry. Grabbing one of his hands, she directed them both to a sofa.

"It is about dad, angel."

Draco gasped. "What happened to dad, mum?" Draco sounded like a five year old kid, scared to death that someone took his father from him. It pained Narcissa to know that her boy was so desperate, and so she enveloped him in her arms, caressing his back while he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Hush, Draco… Daddy is fine, he will be fine." She could feel the tears sliding down his face and wetting her shoulder, and she did her best not to cry in front of her son, managing to be the strength he needed to live through that nightmare. "This night, your dad was on a mission for the Dark Lord, it took place in the Ministry and apparently something went wrong and they caught daddy in action. Arthur Weasley dropped by at our house with this official information from the Ministry."

Draco startled and pulled off her arms, staring intensely into her blue eyes, willing to hear more, willing to know exactly what happened to his father. "Go on, mother! Don't hide anything from me this time, I am no child and I am sick to be treated like I was."

Taking a long breath and closing her eyes for some seconds, Narcissa went on. Draco didn't have the right to talk to her in such manner, even if he was angry and somber with this whole situation. "Your father is under arrest, Draco. That's all I really know, I don't know in which detailed circumstances it happened or when he'll be released. They found his Death Eater identity and, and…. It's complicated, Draco. It really is." After finishing, Narcissa got up from the sofa and rested her head in a nearby wall.

"Of course it is complicated, mother, that I already knew, but what are you going to do?"

"I qualified as your father temporary attorney and I'm going to plea for his release tonight, but don't nurture high hopes, because under this case particularities, it will be really hard to success in this writ. Tomorrow morning I'll hire him the best lawyer money can afford and I'll find a way to at least visit him in Azkaban, I need to know what they did to him, I need to check if he is injured..."

They spent long minutes in silence, until Narcissa broke the tension. "Draco, I have to go now, I still have to solve a billion problems. Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine, mother. Do everything you can for daddy, please. I can't stand the idea of him living in that putrid prison."

"I will do my best, son. Now come, give your mother a hug." She said that with her blue eyes glinting and that was when Draco really realized how fragile his once beautiful and omnipotent mother was. Her eyes were foggy and her expression showed pure exhaustion. He hurried towards her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry mum, I didn't mean to hurt you even more. Will _you_ be alright?"

"I have to be alright, Draco, both you and Lucius depend on me now… But I must confess, son, I have no idea of how I'll live without your father by my side; I get so lost without him." Draco could feel her body trembling and he knew she was crying. He didn't let go of his mother, only remaining quiet and resentful; it was when he decided to make whoever made this happen to his family pay, and Draco knew that, without a doubt, Harry Potter was at least a bit responsible for all his current suffer.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The night had been long for Narcissa Malfoy. After talking to Draco, she returned home and wrote the _habeas corpus_ in Lucius' benefit. After, she went to the Ministry of Magic, where she had met the judge who gave her husband the order of temporary prison. From the talking they had, she understood full well that he did not intend to put Lucius in freedom or even would consider the plea with benevolence. That's why she decided to hire the best criminal wizard lawyer she knew. The man was Albert Jones, who was in her class during College and was absolutely brilliant in everything he did.

Narcissa had sent him a letter asking for an appointment at 10 a.m. and, by that time – 8 o'clock – she was sat at the breakfast table, facing a huge amount of food, but incapable of eating any of it. She didn't sleep and didn't think about anything but Lucius during the night. She always feared that his involvement with Voldemort would end up on that, but she never expected to live to see her darling husband in prison What if he couldn't manage it? What if he got ill there? Lucius was a strong man, but he was really bad dealing with humiliation and this arrest would be his downfall, for sure. His name was already on the Daily Prophet and she knew that her husband, even if banished of all forms of communication, was aware of that. His incarceration and the public knowledge of his death eater activities would be the devastation of the Malfoy name. It was when she heard footsteps fastening approaching the room that she was taken from her reverie.

"Good morning, Cissy! Good to see this huge table, I'm starving!"

"Good morning? For whom, Bellatrix? My husband is in jail and you didn't even bother to come home to tell me that. Plus, I still don't know exactly what happened on that damned mission for him to be arrested."

"Slow down, Narcissa! I had other commitments last night, I knew someone would tell you he was caught, that poor excuse of a man that your husband is." – The brunette's voice was full of disdain.

"Look, Bellatrix, I've already heard too much rubbish from you during these months you're living here, so let me be clear now: I won't tolerate you talking like this about my husband in our own house. If you have no respect for him, at least have some for me, because I'm suffering and so is my son."

"Oh, little Cissy defending darling Lucius, how adorable!" Bellatrix sat and started eating. After some bites, she continued speaking. "Do you want to know what happened in the Ministry?" Not waiting for a reply, she started. "Well, Lucius decided not to use violence against the dumb teenagers and tried to convince Potter to give him the prophecy. Of course that idiot boy didn't hear to what your husband was saying. If only Lucius wasn't so stubborn and had let me torture those morons, we could have got the prophecy before the Order of Phoenix arrived."

"From what I know, Lucius was the responsible for the mission, and you shouldn't have pestered him. But how did the Order get there?"

"Apparently, one of the members discovered that Potter was caught in a trap and the rest of them came running in the boy's defense. Well, at least Sirius had his punishment… I finally ended that useless life."

Narcissa almost choked on the tea she was sipping. "I beg your pardon? Did you kill Sirius? What for, Bellatrix?"

"He always deserved it, Cissy. Did you forget the shame he put upon the Black family? He was a hopeless traitor, that's what he was. Besides, our Lord was very pleased that I killed him."

"I do not care what pleases or displeases _your _Lord." Narcissa rose from the chair, all the hate she felt for Voldemort making the blood boil in her veins. "And I do not wish to speak about this man in my house anymore! Look at the disgrace that fell upon my family, it's his entire fault."

Bellatrix also rose and closed the distance between her and Narcissa. "Don't you dare to insult the Dark Lord, little Cissy, or you might regret it." Narcissa laughed coldly, her face impassive. "Is this a threat, Bella? Because I'm not scared anymore; with Lucius in jail and Draco in danger, there's nothing I wouldn't do. Now, if you excuse me, I'm leaving. I have to hire a lawyer for my husband, and I think you should do something in Rodolphus' benefit too."

"I don't care if Rodolphus is in Azkaban, it was the Dark Lord's choice. He only wanted me with him, so, if he didn't bother with those useless men, it's not me who will."

Narcissa's mouth dropped open and she shook her head a few times, in disbelief. "I knew you were sick and hopeless, Bella, but not to that point. Rod is your _husband_, for Merlin's sake! Don't you have any compassion for him, at least?"

"No, Narcissa. Compassion is not an emotion I nurture. The only true feeling I have is loyalty, and this one I reserve only for my Lord." Bellatrix was about to leave the room when she decided to try and put some respect in her young sister's mind, that ungrateful woman. "If I were you, Cissy, I would not hire this lawyer. You know better than anyone that lawyers demand information about the clients, and you also know that Lucius' activities are not to be told to anyone… the Dark Lord would never approve such betrayal, especially not after Lucius' failure. You'll end up paying for your stubbornness; mark my words, Narcissa."

"I'll deal with the consequences of my own acts, Bellatrix. Now get out of my way, I don't want to be late for the appointment."

Narcissa got out of the room perplexed after the confrontation with Bellatrix. The woman knew now, for sure, that she would have to fight a lonely battle, but she was determinate to put all her forces in keeping her family steady and together.

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**Please let me know what you think about the story until now! Reviews - good or bad - are always welcome! Also, I'd like to thanks a lot my loyal readers and reviewers, you are awesome! :)**


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